Cruise industry in Maritimes already preparing for next spring
Starting next month, cruise ships will officially be allowed to visit ports in the Maritimes once again as the federal government prepares to lift its ban on the vessels in Canadian waters which was put in place because of the pandemic.
However, industry officials say that though they are getting the green light on Nov. 1, it will be months before Maritimers can get a glimpse of a cruise ship docked in their community, and that the season will start in Canada next spring.
Andrew Dixon is the senior vice-president of trade and business development at the Port of Saint John, and also serves as chair of the National Cruise Committee of the Association of Canadian Port Authorities.
"There's no activity that I'm aware of across Canada at the tail end of this season in November," says Dixon, "so we're truly talking about something that is about five or six months away still, effectively."
Canada's cruise ship ban was originally set to remain in place until February 2022, however, back in July of this year federal Transport minister Omar Alghabra announced that it would be lifted earlier if operators are able to follow public health guidelines.
The pandemic has taken a heavy toll on the cruise sector which, according to Transport Canada, is a $4-billion industry in Canada and generates around 30,000 jobs directly and indirectly.
Although ships won't arrive until next year, preparations are well underway. Dixon says at the Port of Saint John they have a full schedule in place and expect to see a "robust" cruise season next year if things continue to stay on track.
"We're just going month by month and reconfirming with each of the lines, everything seems to be very stable," Dixon said.
At the Port of Halifax it's expected that they'll see vessel call bookings of about 80 per cent of where they left of back in 2019.
"It should be a pretty good start for rebuilding and we're happy about that," says Lane Farguson, communications manager for the Port of Halifax.
"There's still a lot of unknowns, and so we'll work with all the different organizations involved in that to fill those gaps before the first vessels arrive next April."
In Charlottetown, they are expecting 75 cruise ships starting in April – while the Port of Sydney says their cruise season will start in May.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Canada recognizes housing as a human right. Few provinces have followed suit
As more Canadians find themselves struggling to afford or find housing, the country's smallest province is the only one that can point to legislation recognizing housing as a human right.
Minister 'outraged' after AFN national chief's headdress taken from Air Canada cabin
The federal minister of Crown-Indigenous relations is calling on Air Canada to 'make things right' with the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, who said her headdress was removed from an airplane cabin during a flight this week.
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'Violation': CSIS had officer investigated after she reported a superior raped her
A CSIS officer's allegations that she was raped repeatedly by a superior in agency vehicles set off a harassment inquiry, but also triggered an investigation into her that concluded the alleged attacks were a “misuse” of agency vehicles by the woman.
Pro-plastic lobbyist presence at UN talks is 'troubling,' say advocates
Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.