As his staff reviews bids from four companies, Nova Scotia’s transportation minister now says it could be late fall before a decision is made about who will operate the ferry service between Yarmouth and Portland next season.

Regardless of which company is chosen, those who support the ferry say the main thing is that service continues.

“I attribute the ferry to bringing visitors, but even more important, I attribute the ferry to bringing back that sense of hope,” says Yarmouth Mayor Pam Mood.

The service operated by Nova Star Cruises is wrapping up its second season and Yarmouth residents say they have noticed a difference in town since the service started back up last year.

“Yeah, it’s definitely a lot busier,” says resident Bethany Murphy. “Businesses are getting more business and it’s really good for the community.”

A much brighter view than in December 2009, when news spread that The Cat – the high-speed ferry service between Yarmouth and Bar Harbour – was coming to an end.

Bay Ferries attributed the cancellation to a 33 per cent drop in passenger traffic, combined with higher fuel prices.

At the time, the NDP government said taxpayers had spent around $20 million subsidizing The Cat, and couldn’t afford to spend anymore.

A year later, the Rodd Colony Harbour Inn announced it was shutting down its 65 rooms, forcing 20 employees out of work.

“It was desolate for some time, and with good reason,” says Mood. “And not just because the ship was gone but, you know, the economic downturn, of course, and that all plays a part, certainly.”

Hundreds of people lined the shores of the harbour in April 2014, eager to catch a first glimpse of the Nova Star as it sailed into Yarmouth for the first time, bringing with it a sea of hope and optimism.

The ferry service resumed the following month after a four-year absence, breathing new life into the town.

“If you take a drive down our main street now, and you’ve seen it before, you’ll see a little bit of a difference,” says Mood.

Business owner Sylvia Hoben-Fougere says the hours at her gift shop are actually set to accommodate traffic from the ferry.

“We don’t rely on the tourism, we rely on local people of course, but it’s the extra,” she says. “Last year was good, but this year’s really good, big, big difference here. We can tell there’s more people around.”

A short distance away, Esther Dares says business at her bed and breakfast has been steady, which is good for her and others in the community.

“Last year’s the best year I ever had in 17 years. This year I’m making those targets that were set last year,” says Dares.

“It meant we could invest in our property again. This year we’ve bought new furniture at the furniture store, we’ve bought new appliance … it’s all good.”

Dares says about half of her customers are from the U.S. Whether they arrive on the ferry, or find their own way to Yarmouth, she believes marketing for the ferry is benefitting her business.

But local artist Ann Clow has a different perspective.

“I just got off a few minutes ago, giving art lessons on the Nova Star, and I have a gallery right here on Main Street, and I myself find it’s very, very slow,” says Clow.

She sometimes sees only one or two customers a day, and while she speaks highly of the Nova Star, she believes timing is an issue.

“I find it’s probably because it’s 8 o’clock in the morning and people, when they get off the boat, they definitely want to get out of dodge,” says Clow. “They basically want to, you know, they don’t even want to stop to eat, they just want to get to where they’re going – Peggys Cove, Mahone Bay, Lunenburg, places like that.”

Clow also thinks travellers only come back in time to eat and sleep before getting back on the boat the next morning.

But Mood says, as much as she would like to see people stay in Yarmouth, she’s happy to see a service that benefits the entire province.

“The ship is not a Yarmouth ship, and I can’t say that often enough. This is for the entire province, and if they leave here and they’re shopping in Liverpool or in the Valley or Cape Breton, that’s a wonderful thing too,” she says.

“I think the timing of the ferry is perfect in that, even if they do land here and drive through, they have to come back.”

Mood says she has even heard from people in P.E.I. and New Brunswick that they are seeing visitors from the ferry.

But while the ferry has boosted business in the region, concerns have been raised about the amount of money spent on the service.

The Nova Scotia government committed $13 million to the Nova Star this year, and has spent $28.5 million in the ferry’s first season.

Mood and local business owners admit it’s a lot of money, but they believe it’s worth it, calling the link an international highway.

“It costs money to keep our highways open and, you know, people take them for granted,” says Dares. “We drive on those highways every day. This is just another highway.”

And they say the return of the ferry service has changed the town for the better.

“The heart and soul of Yarmouth will never change, and that’s a great thing because we are who we are, but I will say this, the one thing that’s changed the most is the attitude,” says Mood.       

“And you know, again, going back to the One Nova Scotia report, if we can’t change our attitudes, we can’t change anything.”

With the second ferry season winding down, there is optimism Yarmouth is turning the tide on some challenging times, and is determined to chart a new course for its future.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Jacqueline Foster