Residents of Campobello Island are the only ones in Canada who need a passport to enter their own country.
That’s one revelation coming from a recent report on why the Bay of Fundy island is in need of a year-round ferry service to the mainland.
Brent MacPherson, with the Campobello Year Round Ferry Development Committee, says there are some situations that make a year-round ferry critical.
He points to a young man in a wheelchair who can only be transported by ambulance, and during a recent trip to the Charlotte County Hospital, the man’s passport went missing.
“He needs to apply for a new passport, but he needs New Brunswick photo I-D in order to get the passport. Well, where is Service NB? St. Stephen. The ambulance will not transport him to St. Stephen to do that. So there he is, without a passport, on the island, no direct link to the mainland.”
MacPherson also mentions a couple with a three year old son who has autism, and is required to have an assessment.
He says the boy’s case worker does not have a passport and can’t come to the island, so until she or the boy can get a passport the assessment can’t be completed.
“There are personal interest stories that are affecting those families on the island that people on the mainland wouldn’t have to deal with.”
The Campobello Year Round Ferry Study also included other startling conclusions, such as the island is thought to have one of the biggest population declines in the province, a loss of 33% of residents from 1996.
Neighbouring Deer Island and Grand Manan Island have also seen population declines of 6% and 8%, respectively, but they have ferry access to the mainland where Campobello does not.
In order to use basic services like banking, or even filling your vehicle with gasoline, Campobello residents need to travel through two international borders.
During the next regular monthly meeting of Campobello Council, Phase 2 of the study, which is a business plan for a year-round ferry, will be released to the public.
The meeting will be held on Monday, January 28th, at 7pm, in the Village Mart Community Room.