A victory for the Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative Caucus in the fight to open up the secrecy surrounding the management fee paid to Bay Ferries to run The CAT.
It’s been four years since the Caucus’ initial Freedom of Information request.
Since then, the case landed in the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, which sided with the PCs on Tuesday, ruling that the Yarmouth Ferry management fee should be public knowledge.
PC leader Tim Houston is calling on premier-designate Iain Rankin to commit to releasing details surrounding the ferry fee, immediately.
The province and Bay Ferries have 30 days to appeal the Supreme Court decision.
“If there’s really been a change, I would expect we would see that change today or tomorrow,” he said. “I would say that the new premier, if he wants to do things differently, and I hope he does, he would just say look. I am sorry that this has drug on for four years. I’m sorry that my government tried to keep this hidden and here’s the number that you have a right to know.”
Houston says he hopes at this stage, that neither the Liberal government nor Bay Ferries will fight the Supreme Court ruling.
When pressed about how much has been spent by the PC Caucus fighting for the request in court, Houston said it wasn’t a cost over-and-beyond what the Caucus employee tasked on the file is being paid though wasn’t able to confirm.
He says no additional experts were hired to work the file and it was all done internally.
The CAT ferry will not run during the 2021 tourism season due to COVID-19.
The vessel hasn’t sailed since the summer of 2018.
