Marine Atlantic Argentia run to stay: official

ST. JOHN’S — Federal Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon has reportedly given the Newfoundland government his assurance that Marine Atlantic is not in danger of having ferry service cut between Argentia and North Sydney.

After a meeting with the Transport Minister, reports the Telegram, Avalon MP Fabian Manning said that under no conditions, is the service being discontinued. “As far as he is concerned the Argentia service is staying there,” Manning said of Cannon.

Earlier this week, the province’s Transportation Minister John Hickey said he was not able to get a commitment on the ferry run from the federal government.

Representatives for Cannon told the paper that while there is no plan to drop the service, that particular route is “non-constitutional” as compared the Port aux Basques-North Sydney connection, which is an essential service.

Two weeks ago, Transport Canada announced it would funnel about $270 million over the next five years to revitalize Marine Atlantic’s ferry service.

However, trucking and tourism officials are angry that even with the new cash, the deal calls for the vital Port Aux Basques-North Sydney ferry link to increase rates by an expected 2.1 percent and add a fuel surcharge to cover rising fuel costs.

Gary Dowden, provincial director with the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association, said that trucking companies will likely have to pass the additional costs on to customers.

— with files from the St. John’s Telegram