The federal government is slashing tolls on the Confederation Bridge and lowering ferry fares in Eastern Canada, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced while in Prince Edward Island on Monday.
“It’s always a good day when you wake up on Prince Edward Island, and today is an especially good day. It’s a big day,” Carney said at the announcement in Albany, with the Confederation Bridge visible behind him.
Effective Aug. 1, the cost of crossing the bridge which connects P.E.I. with New Brunswick will fall to $20 from $50.25. Fares for passengers, cars and commercial traffic on ferry services in Eastern Canada that are federally supported will go down by 50 per cent.
Those ferries provide service between:
- Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Que., and Souris, P.E.I.
- Wood Islands, P.E.I., and Caribou, N.S.
- Saint John, N.B., and Digby, N.S.
The federal government also announced it was scrapping fuel surcharges on those routes.
“Today’s announcement will mean more Canadians can see more of Atlantic Canada,” Carney said.
Fares for passengers and vehicles on the ferry that operates between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador are also going down. Ottawa has pledged to increase funding to the operator, Marine Atlantic, to lower the price by 50 per cent. Ottawa is also freezing commercial freight rates on that route.
“The costs of the bridge and ferry don’t just fall on tourists,” Carney said. “If we are going to build a stronger, more united economy, and we are doing that, we are going to need to make it more affordable to travel around this country, for people and for businesses.”
This is Carney’s first time on P.E.I. as prime minister. The announcement makes good on his pledge during the federal election campaign to reduce tolls on the Confederation Bridge and cut ferry fares.
More to come
