For nine months a year, Campobello Island residents are forced to travel through the United States to get to mainland New Brunswick.
But a Saint John resident hopes a new petition calling for year-round ferry service will solve the problem once and for all.
Justin Tinker, who grew up on Campobello Island, said the petition stems from a meeting in May involving Premier Blaine Higgs
“The premier had made the verbal commitment to getting a plan for year-round ferry proposal ready to send to Ottawa for funding,” said Tinker, who is part of the Campobello Year-Round Ferry Committee and the Accessible Campobello movement.
Tinker said he has been assured by New Brunswick Southwest MP John Williamson that Ottawa is willing to sit down and discuss the project. He said his concern in the meantime is that the premier has not fulfilled his promise to put a funding proposal together.
In a statement, the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure said it participated in a federal-provincial-territorial minister’s meeting on June 2.
“The federal government is aware of the situation involving the Campobello Island Ferry and will be looking into this further,” said spokesperson Jeremy Trevors.
East Coast Ferries Ltd., a privately owned and operated company, currently runs a seasonal ferry service between Campobello Island and Deer Island.
But Tinker said when the ferry is not operating, residents must travel through Maine in order to get to mainland New Brunswick.
“Prior to 9/11, it really wasn’t an issue,” he said of crossing into the United States. “We would slow down long enough to wave at the person at customs, who would wave at us back and we’d keep on driving.”
“Since 9/11 and since border restrictions have been introduced and strengthened, that way of life has disappeared.”
Tinker said the unfortunate side effect is that Campobello Island has lost over one-third of its population and market income per capita has shrunk more than $6,000 per person.
“There’s so many young families who are forced to move from Campobello Island, like my own, because it’s just not viable for them as a solution. We want to change that,” he said.
The pandemic, which has placed even tighter restrictions on border travel, has put the issue into focus, he said.
Tinker said he is “very optimistic” there will be a permanent ferry to and from the island soon.
“We’ve had a level of interest and a level of commitment to this project from all levels of government that had been unheard of before,” he said.
Tinker hopes the petition, which currently has more than 380 signatures, will be presented to the House of Commons.
