I want to commend you on your article regarding politicians being honest about the Yarmouth ferry printed in 19 August 2023 Chronicle Herald. I enjoy reading your articles not that I always agree but you provide a different perspective on the topic you are writing about.
This ferry fiasco has been a thorn in my side ever since the Liberals under the leadership of Stephen MacNeil devised an ill-devised business plan not for the benefit of Nova Scotians but have Nova Scotians foot the millions of dollars spent to renovate the ferry terminal in Bar Harbor, pay salaries of US Customs agents, endless millions of dollars in subsidies to the private business Bay Ferries.
Anyone with a bit of business sense can absolutely understand from your article that it has been a losing endeavor for years and it is our Nova Scotia tax dollars that have been subsidizing that white elephant ferry not the volume of paying passengers. There is not another business in Nova Scotia that wouldn’t love the government to subsidize their business with millions of dollars and not have to make a profit to keep operating.
I don’t know how any of our MLAs regardless of their political affiliation can really justify keeping the ferry in operation except that saving their political job is more important than serving the people of Nova Scotia.
And how many more studies do we need to spend money on. Apparently one more taking 2 years to compile then to be released after the next election.
Will the study results be any different than the ones before? Not likely. The question is, “ How many times do you repeat the study expecting a different result?” My answer, “as many as it will take to keep the MLAs in their seats and in power”.
So much for honesty.
Here’s my option to the study. Perhaps a Nova Scotia poll with several well written questions would be a better insight to how we feel about this ferry service and whether it should be continued. I doubt it would take two years to complete and release.
I sure hope someone will have the opportunity to pull out my thorn sooner than later.
Really appreciated your Yarmouth ferry-funding evisceration. Having just returned broke but happy having succombed to the annual Garden of the Gulf extravaganza, the Gold Cup and Saucer I am puzzled, sort of, (I once was a government bureaucrat so life hold’s few surprises) by the exit Confederation Bridge fee mandated by some diligent souls who determined the fee to be $50.00 plus 25 cents! I am trying to visualize the committeee meeting when fifty dollars plus twenty-five cents was approved. Was there a dissenting voice, an alternative proposed? Did anyone suggest fifty plus a dime, possibly $49.00 plus a dollar and a half? Someone must have raised the spectacle of crowds of Americans searching in vain for the Queen’s (on-going) silver. “What’s a QUARTER, daddy?” (Incidentally, an American horse won the Gold Cup and Saucer much to the dismay of the ten thousand or so who had assembled at 12:30 am to witness the end to the greatest day in Maritime harness racing.) Of course, as loyal Canadians and cheerleaders for the visual wonders endemic to the “Island” (e.g. on the Island the shoulders of every road travelled (and we did the back roads from Tignish to Montague) are trimmed, mowed and cared for with the attention Bluenose travellers on the Sunrise Trail or elsewhere can only envy) Now, in concert with our relatives in the “Big Smoke” waiting for the Blue Jays to take flight we begin the tedious task of filling the jar with nickles and dimes and one twenty-five cent piece to bring us back home once more from the pinnacle of our summer adventures.
Thanks for your continuing efforts to awaken the somnolent Bluenosers promoting the bottomless pit we know and love as the Yarmouth ferry,
Dear Mr Churchill
There are many USA citizens that have summer homes in Nova Scotia. My wife
and I have been coming here since 2001.
In 2007 we hired a local architect and local contractor to build our home
here for $360000.00 We are here about 3 to 4 months every year. We spend
approximately $12000.00 to $16000.00 in Nova Scotia every year. In addition
we pay land and house tax of $5745.00. I have a breakdown of expenses if you
need it.
Also in February of this year we gave a local young Canadian family 2.3
acres of land to build a home on for 0 dollars.
My wife and I paid the surveyor and fees of $5250.00 We appreciate your
support of the Ferry Service to Yarmouth.
Steve and Karen Alger
Note: His letter was sent to Liberal leader Zach Churchill, copied to me.
Thank you for writing and thank you for the time you spend in Nova Scotia.
Should the Yarmouth ferry be cancelled you will have an alternative going to St. John and taking the ferry to Digby. My calculation using Google maps and ferry schedules has the addition in time for your travel as one hour and ten minutes. As well the St John ferry has twice a day trips instead of one and is less vulnerable to cancellation.
As you know, I have been saying this for years. Just think how much those millions of dollars could have done to make Yarmouth a more attractive tourist destination, rather than paying the salaries of all the American crew members. This is a prime example of how politicians cannot seem to see beyond the next election in four years’ time, as Graham Steele so eloquently points out in his two books on his life in politics. Having said that, it was his government that got us into this mess in the first place.
And personally, I think the latest political example of shortsightedness is the millions being poured into bike lanes and bicycle bridge approaches. And all for fewer than 200 cyclists (the last count I saw) using the ridiculous system on a daily basis. All they have done is remove second lanes for cars, causing the traffic lines to double during rush hour, causing vehicles to be spewing exhaust fumes for twice as long every day. This is not the way to fight global warming.
The best way to solve this problem, in my opinion, is to stop having 50,000 vehicles a day enter the peninsula. With fewer cars on the streets there would be no need for bike lanes. They should build massive parking lots out in the areas of the industrial parks, make parking there free, and provide better bus service into the peninsula. Considering the cost of parking these days, I think many drivers would jump at the chance to go to work this way. This, and doing away with having tractor trailers lug containers through city streets would do much to reduce the need for bike lanes for the few users.
Then, my next cycling peeve is the number of bicycles driving on the sidewalks, using crosswalks as cycling lanes when convenient, and generally ignoring the rules of the road as they pertain to bicycles. And don’t get me going about the electric scooters that drive on sidewalks. Mary and I do a lot of walking on the sidewalks and sometimes find it safer to walk in the bike lanes (there are seldom any bikes on them) rather than on the sidewalk. There is a great need for cycling education in this province, and I think it should start in the schools, similar to driver education classes.
Thank you for your honest and frank article on the Yarmouth Ferry. I do have empathy for Zack Churchill because he really knows the Ferry is a total waste of our tax dollars, but he represents Yarmouth and must “pretend” (better word than lie) it is critically important to the NS tourist industry. Reminds me of some Republicans in the US, they know Trump is a threat to democratic institutions, but must cater to their constituent voters. Would like to see your thoughts on the Donkin Coal Mine.
Cheers,
Alfred Jennings
Bedford, N.S.
Thanks Alfred.
The Trump analogy is harsh. I am not sure Zach has a grip on economics so maybe he beieves some of this.
The Republicans echoing Trump are being bullied into it.
The current owners of the Donkin mine did not get any government money as far as I can tell. So as job creation goes it is a win. Coal is the planet’s worst climate enemy but the right way of addressing carbon emissions is on consumption not production. Those who would shut down Canada’s oil producers would just be making nations like Russia and Saudi Arabia richer.
GREAT that you are bringing this up again. If my senior memory recalls this was a huge issue when Tim Houston ran for Premier. Looks like when he got in he forgot about it. The whole thing seems ridiculous and the huge amount of money spent beyond belief.
Lisa
Great article, as usual, Mr. Black. You laid out the issue perfectly as you have on previous occasions.
The facts have been known for some time, and while we can all see why Churchill has to keep the ferry going, the rest of us see this as a big pink elephant.
Your article alone should be the driving force to cancel that ferry. I don’t see British Columbia subsidizing airfares for Asians to visit their province. If people want to visit, they will visit and we should not have to pay them!
There is no need for reports on the economic benefits of the ferry. All the government had to do was read your article! Common-sense does not exist for politicians, because if it did, the ferry would have been gone a long time ago.
Especially troubling for me was the fact NS paid for the US customs portal and upgraded the American landing site. Not to mention an American ferry, piloted by Americans. They are laughing all the way to the bank. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Thank you for this rational and well argued commentary Bill. It is a great shame that this subject is treated as a political football with nobody standing up to make an unpopular decision. One hopes that the “economic impact assesment” will be just that as opposed to anecdotal stories from regional tourism operators.. Even Zach Churchill fails to qualify his rhetoric with hard facts as you have done here.
I want to commend you on your article regarding politicians being honest about the Yarmouth ferry printed in 19 August 2023 Chronicle Herald. I enjoy reading your articles not that I always agree but you provide a different perspective on the topic you are writing about.
This ferry fiasco has been a thorn in my side ever since the Liberals under the leadership of Stephen MacNeil devised an ill-devised business plan not for the benefit of Nova Scotians but have Nova Scotians foot the millions of dollars spent to renovate the ferry terminal in Bar Harbor, pay salaries of US Customs agents, endless millions of dollars in subsidies to the private business Bay Ferries.
Anyone with a bit of business sense can absolutely understand from your article that it has been a losing endeavor for years and it is our Nova Scotia tax dollars that have been subsidizing that white elephant ferry not the volume of paying passengers. There is not another business in Nova Scotia that wouldn’t love the government to subsidize their business with millions of dollars and not have to make a profit to keep operating.
I don’t know how any of our MLAs regardless of their political affiliation can really justify keeping the ferry in operation except that saving their political job is more important than serving the people of Nova Scotia.
And how many more studies do we need to spend money on. Apparently one more taking 2 years to compile then to be released after the next election.
Will the study results be any different than the ones before? Not likely. The question is, “ How many times do you repeat the study expecting a different result?” My answer, “as many as it will take to keep the MLAs in their seats and in power”.
So much for honesty.
Here’s my option to the study. Perhaps a Nova Scotia poll with several well written questions would be a better insight to how we feel about this ferry service and whether it should be continued. I doubt it would take two years to complete and release.
I sure hope someone will have the opportunity to pull out my thorn sooner than later.
Liz Schurman | August 24, 2023 |
Really appreciated your Yarmouth ferry-funding evisceration. Having just returned broke but happy having succombed to the annual Garden of the Gulf extravaganza, the Gold Cup and Saucer I am puzzled, sort of, (I once was a government bureaucrat so life hold’s few surprises) by the exit Confederation Bridge fee mandated by some diligent souls who determined the fee to be $50.00 plus 25 cents! I am trying to visualize the committeee meeting when fifty dollars plus twenty-five cents was approved. Was there a dissenting voice, an alternative proposed? Did anyone suggest fifty plus a dime, possibly $49.00 plus a dollar and a half? Someone must have raised the spectacle of crowds of Americans searching in vain for the Queen’s (on-going) silver. “What’s a QUARTER, daddy?” (Incidentally, an American horse won the Gold Cup and Saucer much to the dismay of the ten thousand or so who had assembled at 12:30 am to witness the end to the greatest day in Maritime harness racing.) Of course, as loyal Canadians and cheerleaders for the visual wonders endemic to the “Island” (e.g. on the Island the shoulders of every road travelled (and we did the back roads from Tignish to Montague) are trimmed, mowed and cared for with the attention Bluenose travellers on the Sunrise Trail or elsewhere can only envy) Now, in concert with our relatives in the “Big Smoke” waiting for the Blue Jays to take flight we begin the tedious task of filling the jar with nickles and dimes and one twenty-five cent piece to bring us back home once more from the pinnacle of our summer adventures.
Thanks for your continuing efforts to awaken the somnolent Bluenosers promoting the bottomless pit we know and love as the Yarmouth ferry,
Paul Robinson | August 21, 2023 |
Dear Mr Churchill
There are many USA citizens that have summer homes in Nova Scotia. My wife
and I have been coming here since 2001.
In 2007 we hired a local architect and local contractor to build our home
here for $360000.00 We are here about 3 to 4 months every year. We spend
approximately $12000.00 to $16000.00 in Nova Scotia every year. In addition
we pay land and house tax of $5745.00. I have a breakdown of expenses if you
need it.
Also in February of this year we gave a local young Canadian family 2.3
acres of land to build a home on for 0 dollars.
My wife and I paid the surveyor and fees of $5250.00 We appreciate your
support of the Ferry Service to Yarmouth.
Steve and Karen Alger
Steve and Karen Alge | August 21, 2023 |
Note: His letter was sent to Liberal leader Zach Churchill, copied to me.
Thank you for writing and thank you for the time you spend in Nova Scotia.
Should the Yarmouth ferry be cancelled you will have an alternative going to St. John and taking the ferry to Digby. My calculation using Google maps and ferry schedules has the addition in time for your travel as one hour and ten minutes. As well the St John ferry has twice a day trips instead of one and is less vulnerable to cancellation.
Bill
Bill | August 21, 2023 |
As you know, I have been saying this for years. Just think how much those millions of dollars could have done to make Yarmouth a more attractive tourist destination, rather than paying the salaries of all the American crew members. This is a prime example of how politicians cannot seem to see beyond the next election in four years’ time, as Graham Steele so eloquently points out in his two books on his life in politics. Having said that, it was his government that got us into this mess in the first place.
And personally, I think the latest political example of shortsightedness is the millions being poured into bike lanes and bicycle bridge approaches. And all for fewer than 200 cyclists (the last count I saw) using the ridiculous system on a daily basis. All they have done is remove second lanes for cars, causing the traffic lines to double during rush hour, causing vehicles to be spewing exhaust fumes for twice as long every day. This is not the way to fight global warming.
The best way to solve this problem, in my opinion, is to stop having 50,000 vehicles a day enter the peninsula. With fewer cars on the streets there would be no need for bike lanes. They should build massive parking lots out in the areas of the industrial parks, make parking there free, and provide better bus service into the peninsula. Considering the cost of parking these days, I think many drivers would jump at the chance to go to work this way. This, and doing away with having tractor trailers lug containers through city streets would do much to reduce the need for bike lanes for the few users.
Then, my next cycling peeve is the number of bicycles driving on the sidewalks, using crosswalks as cycling lanes when convenient, and generally ignoring the rules of the road as they pertain to bicycles. And don’t get me going about the electric scooters that drive on sidewalks. Mary and I do a lot of walking on the sidewalks and sometimes find it safer to walk in the bike lanes (there are seldom any bikes on them) rather than on the sidewalk. There is a great need for cycling education in this province, and I think it should start in the schools, similar to driver education classes.
Ron | August 21, 2023 |
Your metaphorically adept raking of the political litterbox was especially enjoyable.
Although if a hundred thousand Cajuns use that ferry to come to the World Congress near Pubnico next summer….. from the U.S…..
And the service, for one summer, finally breaks even…..
Perhaps, mon ami, that might be the time to negotiate a better solution?
Phil
Philip Thompson | August 21, 2023 |
Thank you for your honest and frank article on the Yarmouth Ferry. I do have empathy for Zack Churchill because he really knows the Ferry is a total waste of our tax dollars, but he represents Yarmouth and must “pretend” (better word than lie) it is critically important to the NS tourist industry. Reminds me of some Republicans in the US, they know Trump is a threat to democratic institutions, but must cater to their constituent voters. Would like to see your thoughts on the Donkin Coal Mine.
Cheers,
Alfred Jennings
Bedford, N.S.
Alfred Jennings | August 20, 2023 |
Thanks Alfred.
The Trump analogy is harsh. I am not sure Zach has a grip on economics so maybe he beieves some of this.
The Republicans echoing Trump are being bullied into it.
The current owners of the Donkin mine did not get any government money as far as I can tell. So as job creation goes it is a win. Coal is the planet’s worst climate enemy but the right way of addressing carbon emissions is on consumption not production. Those who would shut down Canada’s oil producers would just be making nations like Russia and Saudi Arabia richer.
Bill | August 20, 2023 |
GREAT that you are bringing this up again. If my senior memory recalls this was a huge issue when Tim Houston ran for Premier. Looks like when he got in he forgot about it. The whole thing seems ridiculous and the huge amount of money spent beyond belief.
Lisa
Lisa Stewart | August 19, 2023 |
Great article, as usual, Mr. Black. You laid out the issue perfectly as you have on previous occasions.
The facts have been known for some time, and while we can all see why Churchill has to keep the ferry going, the rest of us see this as a big pink elephant.
Your article alone should be the driving force to cancel that ferry. I don’t see British Columbia subsidizing airfares for Asians to visit their province. If people want to visit, they will visit and we should not have to pay them!
There is no need for reports on the economic benefits of the ferry. All the government had to do was read your article! Common-sense does not exist for politicians, because if it did, the ferry would have been gone a long time ago.
Especially troubling for me was the fact NS paid for the US customs portal and upgraded the American landing site. Not to mention an American ferry, piloted by Americans. They are laughing all the way to the bank. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Bob | August 19, 2023 |
Excellent article, Bill.
Saeed | August 19, 2023 |
Thank you for this rational and well argued commentary Bill. It is a great shame that this subject is treated as a political football with nobody standing up to make an unpopular decision. One hopes that the “economic impact assesment” will be just that as opposed to anecdotal stories from regional tourism operators.. Even Zach Churchill fails to qualify his rhetoric with hard facts as you have done here.
Nicholas Carson | August 18, 2023 |
Thank you Nick. I worry about politicians comparing the subsidy cost to per capita spend, as if it means anything.
Bill | August 18, 2023 |