(Acadia News Photo)
The CAT ferry is expected to sail in 2023.
That’s the message from Public Works Minister Kim Masland.
She told reporters last week that a Request for Proposals is still out for a ‘broad economic impact study’ on the service.
Masland says it’s taken some time to make sure that they’re getting this right.
“This is a study that has never been done before. We need to make sure that we’re getting the scope of this RFP right,” says Masland.
She says the study will include many stakeholders, to help understand the impact of the ferry.
Masland says it’s important that taxpayers dollars are being spent wisely.
The province expressed disappointment with passenger numbers last season.
Bay Ferries says that the CAT carried 36,151 passengers and 14,972 vehicles, completing 113 round trips total with 12 weather cancellations.
Traffic from the United States was 35 percent lower than 2018 and US travelers represented about 75 percent of passengers.
2022 was the first sailing season since 2018 due to the pandemic and ferry terminal work in Bar Harbor.
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