Cut off from boom?

There is also mounting concern in Saint John that the marine link to Nova Scotia might be severed.

Mike Gushue, manager of the Annapolis Digby Economic Development Agency, met recently with officials of Enterprise Saint John to check on prospects for firms here to participate in an anticipated $19 billion building boom across the Bay.

With the economic spin-offs from construction of a refinery, a pipeline and perhaps a nuclear plant, the whole package could be worth as much as $44 billion in indirect spending and New Brunswick is hoping to keep as much as 50 per cent of that in Atlantic Canada, said Gushue. “There is going to be some sort of matchmaking system put in place with local suppliers and we actually already have referred some local suppliers to New Brunswick,” he said.

But he’s concerned that the ferry link could be lost before work really ramps up in New Brunswick, reducing the competitive position of firms in this region.

There was also a meeting last week in Moncton outlining a proposal to build a billion-dollar toll highway through northern Maine that could cut off five hours of travel for trucks heading to central Canada. “If that highway is built, that bodes well for this part of the world. Just think of all the people coming down from Montreal that won’t be going up to northern New Brunswick. They’re going to hit Saint John and get on the ferry. And all the economic activity coming to Saint John...this is not the time to (stop the ferry),” he said.

In Saint John, city councillor Ivan Court last week sounded a warning that Ottawa might actually prefer a new ferry service from Yarmouth to Portland rather than maintain the link between provinces.

Court said a source in government told him Saint John has to speak up if it wants to preserve the ferry. Saint John council has now written New Brunswick’s premier and the federal transport minister about its concerns. “We see it as a vital service. It still has to be subsidized. This notion that we’re not going to subsidize it anymore—that it’s in private hands—is ridiculous. “The bottom line is it’s a service that is required and should be considered part of the Trans-Canada Highway and should be maintained. Ottawa and the provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia should be kicking in to keep that service alive,” he said.

Court is president of the Cities of New Brunswick, and a director of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. He is also one of five running for the job as mayor of Saint John.