PEI·NewA new report commissioned by the Eastern P.E.I. Chamber of Commerce says the ferry service between Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia is vital to the region’s economy. It found that without a reliable service, exports and jobs in the area could be hurt. Report also suggests new vessel won’t arrive until at least 2030Marilee Devries · CBC News · Posted: Dec 03, 2025 5:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 31 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.A new report commissioned by the Eastern P.E.I. Chamber of Commerce shows that when the Northumberland Strait ferry service doesn’t run, it hurts businesses like tourism and trucking. (Tony Davis/CBC)A new report commissioned by the Eastern P.E.I. Chamber of Commerce says the ferry service between Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia is vital to the region’s economy — and that without a reliable service, exports and jobs in the area could be hurt. “Without that reliability, it’s going to continue to lag in terms of its service to the Island and how Islanders will treat it, and how businesses will treat it, coming both ways,” said Blair Aitken, the chamber’s president.Aitken was among a group of people who met in Montague on Tuesday to discuss concerns about the ferry service that are outlined in the report, which was written by Moncton-based Jupia Consultants.Also in attendance was Scott Annear, general manager of the trucking company Morley Annear Limited. He agrees the ferries’ reliability is a top concern.“The reliability is still keeping people away,” he said. “They don’t have the trust built up yet.”Scott Annear, the general manager of an eastern P.E.I. trucking company, says most of his competition uses the Confederation Bridge, but he still tries to use the ferry as much as possible. (Tony Davis/CBC)The report said the ferry service can play a big cost-saving role for businesses like Annear’s. “For a single truck heading to Halifax an average of 180 times per year, using the ferry will save 24,000 kilometres over the year compared to using the Confederation Bridge. That could save operators upwards of $30,000-$40,000 per truck each year,” the report reads. Annear said most of his competition in the trucking industry have chosen not to rely on the ferry, and opt for the bridge instead — but he still tries to use the ferry as much as he can.“I want eastern P.E.I. to survive,” he said. “I want growth in our area, and unless we’ve got things causing growth, we’re not going to expand.”Annear said he would like to see the eastern P.E.I. community join forces with groups in Pictou County, N.S. — which is home to Caribou, the location of the ferry terminal on the Nova Scotia side of the Northumberland Strait — to lobby the federal government for improved service. The vital nature of this service is not understood by those who are responsible to organize it and provide it.- Blair AitkenThe report also calls into question when a new ferry promised by the federal government will be ready. Transport Canada, which owns the ships, originally said a replacement for MV Holiday Island — which had to be scrapped after it caught fire just over three years ago — would be finished by 2027, then pushed the date back to 2028. More recently, however, the agency has moved away from providing a firm timeline.The report suggests it won’t arrive until at least 2030.“For us, that just kind of demonstrates that… the vital nature of this service is not understood by those who are responsible to organize it and provide it,” Aitken said.WATCH | No firm timeline for new N.S.-P.E.I. ferry sparks concern from MP, residents:No firm timeline for new N.S.-P.E.I. ferry sparks concern from MP, residentsThere are more concerns about when a new ferry between P.E.I. and Nova Scotia will be delivered. The federal government initially promised it would be ready by 2027. Now, Transport Canada is not offering a completion date. CBC’s Wayne Thibodeau explains.In a statement to CBC News, Transport Canada said the project is structured in three phases. Phase one, which consisted of preliminary design work, was completed back in July.The next phase is completing basic design and an updated cost estimate.Similar to what the federal department told CBC News in October, the statement said “the exact delivery timeline and construction cost will only be known once a construction contract is in place.”In the meantime, Transport Canada paid nearly $40 million for the Norwegian ferry MV Fanafjord to ensure a two-ferry service between the Island and Nova Scotia. Fanafjord has since been renamed MV Northumberland, and it joined MV Confederation last summer.Report recommendationsThe report included a number of recommendations to Northumberland Ferries Limited, the vessels’ operator, to improve the service, including:Keeping the MV Northumberland permanently, even after the new ferry arrives.Moving to a 12-month service model.Encouraging more commercial traffic.Involving community leaders more closely on future planning and opportunities. Working on a tourism strategy for the ferry service.“The number one recommendation was to improve reliability,” Aitken said. “How do we do that? Well, that’s not done in an announcement, that’s done in demonstration….“That’s what will improve reliability, and once reliability improves, well, all the other pieces… will fall into place.”ABOUT THE AUTHORMarilee Devries is a journalist with CBC P.E.I. She has a journalism degree from Toronto Metropolitan University. She can be reached at marilee.devries@cbc.caWith files from Tony Davis
New report finds Northumberland ferry service vital to the survival of eastern P.E.I.
