Travelling throughout Atlantic Canada will soon cost much less for many.
Ottawa is reducing tolls on the Confederation Bridge and interprovincial ferries in Atlantic Canada.
Prime Minister Mark Carney visited the island on Monday morning to make the announcement.
“There’s around 3,000 vehicles crossing the Confederation Bridge on average every single day, and the Eastern Ferry Service and Marine Atlantic, 2,500 people, 1,200 vehicles, both passenger and commercial, that take those routes every single day,” said Carney.
As of Friday, the Confederation Bridge toll will be reduced by more than half, from more than $50 to $20.
At the same time, Ottawa will cut fares in half for passengers, vehicles and commercial traffic on several interprovincial ferries, including:
- Wood Islands, P.E.I., to Caribou, N.S.
- Saint John, N.B., to Digby, N.S.
- Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Qué., to Souris, P.E.I.
For the ferries between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador, fares will be cut in half for passengers and passenger vehicles, and commercial freight rates will be frozen.
“By cutting tolls on the Confederation Bridge and fares on ferries in Atlantic Canada, Canadians and businesses will save millions of dollars,” said Carney. “That means more travel and trade between provinces, a stronger, more united economy, and more prosperity and opportunity for Canadians.”
Reducing the tolls and fares on the Confederation Bridge and the Nova Scotia to P.E.I. ferry was something Carney had promised during the recent federal election campaign.
The move is expected to cost around $100 million per year, according to the prime minister.
CFIB calls it a welcome relief:
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business calls it a long awaited victory for small businesses across Atlantic Canada.
Regional director Frederic Gionet says high tolls on critical transportation links have made it expensive to do business for far too long, and this represents meaningful relief.
He also says it’s a win for the trucking and seafood exporters, tourism operators and rural retailers.
The CFIB has found that one-third of small businesses in PEI reported that tolls affected their pricing, and 76 percent supported a full elimination of the bridge toll.
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