The NDP government of Nova Scotia continues to stonewall the people of Yarmouth on the ferry issue. As the tourist season prepares to ramp up, the ferry workers and business owners in Yarmouth are still uncertain about their future.

John Percy, Leader of the Green Party of Nova Scotia, said, “Friday’s release by the Nova Scotia Department of Tourism of visitor figures for 2009 indicate that almost 2.1 million people visited Nova Scotia last year.  Of those, approximately 5%, or just over 100,000 people, entered through Yarmouth.  The last Department of Tourism Exit Study indicated that every visitor party of two people spent $950 and stayed for just over four days.  This translates into $50 million dollars of economic activity.”  Mr. Percy spent the weekend in Yarmouth speaking with local residents.

He went on to say, “From that $50 million dollars we can extract $4 million as our 8% provincial share of the HST and couple that with the income tax revenue from the over 100 ferry workers, or about $1 million dollars, tax revenue from Bay Ferries, and the $3 million dollar penalty that Nova Scotia has to pay Bay Ferries to break the contract, and we can see that it is more cost effective to continue the ferry rather than shut it down. 

The loss of revenue will be further aggravated by the increase to the budget of Community and Social Services for the newly unemployed.”

“In the Finance Department’s December Update, it indicated that there was unscheduled interest relief of $6.5 million due to lowering rates on our debt. Some of that money can be directed toward the ferry and keeping the Yarmouth local economy alive.”