Potential ferry routes to Campobello Island have been outlined in a new business plan for a year-round ferry.
In the Fall of 2018, Phase 1 of the report was released outlining the statistics from the island, focusing on the needs and difficulties islanders face each day without a direct link to the mainland.
Brent MacPherson with the Campobello Year-Round Ferry Development Committee says the Phase 2 of the report lays out four different options for possible ferry routes, taking into account infrastructure requirements, crossing conditions, the impact to fisheries, and the time each trip would take.
He says the consultant came to the conclusion Deer Island to Campobello would be the best bet.
“That’s where the seasonal ferry had been running and where islanders have been used to. He (the consultant) laid out with that, usage of the existing infrastructure, so not a lot of dollars have to be put out there. During the winter and summer months, the route is generally protected as well.”
He says they also heard from people in the fishing industry, which is considered one of the main business sectors of the island, about the impact certain ferry routes may have on fisheries.
The route between Deer Island and Campobello would have minimal impact on fisheries and would take approximately 30 minutes to cross.
Another option under consideration was Welshpool to Greenpoint, with the use of the third ferry docked in Deer Island, but there are difficult water currents, a higher impact on fishing, and a full 60 minutes for the route.
A new, higher-speed ferry with a closed deck would be needed for Saint Andrews as well as a lengthy route of 90 minutes.
A ferry to Blacks Harbour was found to have issues in all categories, needing a ferry the size of the Grand Manan V with a closed deck, difficult currents, a 70-minute route, and a foreseen impact on fisheries.
The report was conducted by Vaughn McIntyre Consulting and paid for with federal dollars through ACOA.
It was released to the public during a Campobello Council meeting, in which it was a full house.
