by Zach Churchill, MLA - Yarmouth:
The premier’s recent announcement committing up to $21 million for ferry restoration is welcome news for Yarmouth, South West Nova, and tourism businesses across the province. It is also encouraging to see that even the ever stubborn Darrell can crack from political pressure and do an about-face on a position in which he has been entrenched for three years.
Take it back to January 2009
Darrell axes the ferry, pays Bay Ferries $3 million to terminate their contract, says “NO” to a municipal government offer to jointly fund the ferry for an extra year, and plunges the tourism industry in the province into a sharp decline.
500 jobs were lost as a direct result of the loss of the ferry. As hotels, motels, B&Bs, inns, restaurants, and tourism outlets fold along the South Shore hundreds more are lost. The Chamber of Commerce claims that Nova Scotians have lost millions of dollars in profits, all because the premier wanted to save $3 million.
And for three years ferry proponents have listened to the premier claim he made the right decision and that the tourism industry was doing better as result of it. This, of course, angered countless Nova Scotians.
In response to this, the premier announced $700,000 for economic development initiatives in South West Nova, created three economic development teams (Team South West, Team West, and Task Force South West), and covered the losses of one hotel to the tune of $1 million.
What happened? Full-time and seasonal jobs continued to decline and the economy of the region continued struggle.
Enter summer 2012
The premier commited to funding a panel to review his ferry decision, which cost an additional $50,000. September 2012, just twenty minutes after he supposedly received the panel’s report, he committed $21 million over seven years (a lot more than was needed three years ago) to restore ferry service.
While extremely well written and articulate, the panel’s report provided no real new information on the ferry. In fact, the report’s conclusions echo arguments that ferry proponents have been pushing for the last three years.
So why wait so long to commit funding to a ferry service, especially since three years out the costs are much higher to the province? Did the premier think the panel could provide him with enough political cover to change course? Did he have a change of heart? Too much political backlash? Down in the polls?
Maybe it was all of the above and he just got tired of hearing about it.
In any case, the premier’s reversal is a win for Yarmouth, the tourism industry, and for ferry proponents across the province. A big thank you is in order for community members who kept up the fight; for petition and rally organizers for keeping the pressure on; for the Nova Scotia International Ferry Partnership for its enduring commitment to negotiating with the premier; and for the Official Opposition, who committed a Liberal government to restoring a ferry service and who kept banging on this issue for the last three years.
Our work is not over
There are a lot of conditions tied to this money; we still need the federal government to pony up some cash and a ferry provider who is willing to pursue a market that has been lost for three years. But this is an undeniable first step and should kick start a process that should have began three years ago before so much was lost.
Comments
I think we would be better off taking that funding and processing the seafood that will cross to Boston markets ourselves...build our own plant , process lobster, lobster oil, grind the leftover shells for compost and food for lobster hatcheries, formulate a couple of dishes for Presidents Choice ,brine Jarred Lobster. have the boys bring their seafood to their own plant and get a couple of extra dollars , hire locals,ship out of Yarmouth GET RID of the middle men ! just saying ....
Good ideas, Joyce. All of them. I cant understand why the lobstermen have allowed themselves to be held hostage to the dealers for decades. Not only would this resolve the marketing of the lobster and its by products , it would provide plenty of work for onshore workers too. Really like the compost idea. However, you say take the ferry funding and use it for funding and processing the seafood. What about the ferry? We need that if we are to ship out of Yarmouth and for reaching US markets.
The funding is required for tourism AND commercial transport of goods.
What a good idea for the plant etc. Surely someone has thought of this before..if not why not put it out there and see if there is interest from lobster fishermen??
FYI I saw frozen haddock for sale in Atlantic superstore last week for $1.99 a pound. Guess where it was from??
CHINA.....I left it there. What an insult!!
How much money has been wasted, and how many businesses have been ruined, over the past few years. Dexter has done an about-face, but he HAS COST US MILLIONS OF DOLLARS just to pull a power play. Remember that at election time.