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
BREAKING Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
AstraZeneca says it will withdraw COVID-19 vaccine globally as demand dips
AstraZeneca said on Tuesday it had initiated the worldwide withdrawal of its COVID-19 vaccine due to a 'surplus of available updated vaccines' since the pandemic.
Toronto police seek suspect vehicle after security guard shot outside Drake's mansion
Toronto police are seeking help from the public as they continue to investigate a shooting that seriously injured a security guard outside rapper Drake's mansion.
'Ozempic babies': Reports of surprise pregnancies raise new questions about weight loss drugs
Numerous women have shared stories of 'Ozempic babies' on social media. But the joy some experience in discovering pregnancies may come with anxiety about the unknowns.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Seafood, eat food: Calgary Stampede releases Midway menu
The Calgary Stampede has released its menu of sweet, salty and spicy treats available on the Midway for the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.
Boy Scouts of America is rebranding. Here's why they've changed their name
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
World's record-breaking hot temperature streak stretches through April
The world just experienced its hottest April on record, extending an 11-month streak in which every month set a temperature record, the European Union's climate change monitoring service said on Wednesday.
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.