'It changes everything for us': CAT ferry to make first sailing in three years Thursday
It’s taken the CAT ferry three years to return to service between Yarmouth, N.S., and Maine in the United States.
In that time, taxpayers have continued to pay millions for the vessel.
On the eve of the ferry’s first crossing since its closure, there was excitement in the Nova Scotia town.
“It changes everything for us,” says Yarmouth Mayor Pam Mood.
A lack of a terminal in Bar Harbor, Maine in 2019, followed by two years of the pandemic, kept the CAT away. Some say the effect on the town was devastating.
“Downward spiral would be an understatement. So people are moving west to get any type of work, shops are closing, and families are gone,” said Mood.
But the tide seems to be turning, as businesses in the town reopen and people return.
“We don’t want to see this ferry go away and lose that link to America,” said Alex Guibord, who recently moved to Yarmouth to open an inn.
“We love being an international border with a ferry and all the opportunities that come with that.”
The ship’s return is also good news for Jeff Bain, the co-owner of a brewery around the corner from the ferry terminal.
Some of his product will be sold on-board, but Bain says he hopes tourists will soon be filling seats at the bar.
“We rely on tourist traffic during the summer to fill the days,” said Bain. “We’ve got great local support at night and on weekends, but tourist support during the day really drives some traffic through here.”
The director of the Yarmouth and Acadian Shores Tourism Association says he’s confident that traffic will come.
“Certainly we are getting interest from people who are coming across, looking for recommendations on places to stay,” said Neil Mackenzie.
The ferry’s schedule is working in the town's favour. Early morning departures coupled with an evening arrival mean its likely passengers will be overnighting in the town on both ends of their journey.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.