Our daughter has moved to Cape Breton. We live in New Jersey and would frequent the ferry, if service was restored. We have a large family and the elimination of ferry service is a huge inconvenience for all of us. I also know that the inn where her fiance is a chef has lost business since service was discontinued.

We were planning a driving trip to Nova Scotia through the U.S. from Toronto. We expected that we would be able to get a ferry from Maine, or somewhere along the Northeast coast of the U.S. It is very shortsighted planning to close this service down both for the residence of these two areas and the tourism industry. Wendy Knebel

A good friend of mine inherited the family home in Mira Gut last year. I went up with her after her parents passed. 18 hour drive from Connecticut! We are going again this week, maybe the last time as she thinks she will have to sell the house as it is just not feasible to keep .. Nobody wants to drive all that way to spend a week. Too bad. You just cannot get there from here anymore.

What a disappointment. We are spending two weeks in the Bar Harbor, Maine area from Tampa, Florida and were looking forward to taking the ferry to Nova Scotia for a couple of days. We were sadly disapointed to learn that the ferry service has been discontinued. Hopefully it will be brought back.

Carole, my wife and I, like to visit Nova Scotia at least once a year. But driving all the way from Virginia takes too long and is too stressful to do it any more often and if we go by air and rent a car, the trip becomes substantially more expensive. The point is that money we would rather spend enjoying Nova Scotia has to be spent just getting to Nova Scotia, doing neither us nor the province much good. With the ferry running our driving time is cut in half, traveling expenses are lower, and we get a nice boat ride in the bargain. Our last trip we spent some time in Yarmouth, where we had not been since the boat was running. The people were every bit as great and the town was still attractive and well looked after, but way too many businesses were now closed. Many of the folks we met and spoke with were obviously unhappy about the closing of the ferry service. Particularly in today's economy I realize neither Nova Scotia nor the state of Maine are exactly swimming i spare funds, but I can't help but think there must be some way to restore the service. We'll continue to come to Nova Scotia, but I think we could and would come more often if we just had that boat back. Jerry Angell Springfield, VA

I have been wanting to visit New Brunswick since 2002 the year I picked up a travel guide. I have spent the last hour trying to find the ferry schedule. Now I know why I couldn't find anything- what a shame to have cancelled the service.

We love traveling to NS and PEI. However, living in MA, it becomes WAAY to long a drive to go through all of ME and then in NB, cross to Digby etc. I was in the process of planning our vacation this summer when I realized there was no ferry service! Forget the CAT, at least a nice car service ferry is required. Imagine the people who would visit if the service started even further south! Boston, Portsmouth etc - that's a lot of people who could be visiting Canada!!! my home and native land! Guess we're heading to cottage country in Ontario.

I am writing this letter about the need for the return of ferry service between Yarmouth and Bar Harbour. This had provided reliable ferry service between the US and Nova Scotia for many years. The need is for a single hull ferry that can accommodate tour buses, RVs, commercial trucks as well as passenger cars. The CAT did not provide for the above, was very expensive, and on certain crossings caused severe nausea and vomiting for some of the passengers. The cost was also too high and discouraged ridership. I have been coming to Nova Scotia every year since 1989 and for a number of years owned a motel 30 minutes from Yarmouth. In the past 3 years the number of out of provinces license plates I see has decreased and almost disappeared. Also tour buses and RVs rarely come to this area. In the past several years the following motels in the Yarmouth area hotels have closed: LaReine motel- now a senior's residence Manor Inn - closed and looks abandoned Churchill Mansion - closed for repairs for several years Voyageur Motel - closed half of its units and one of the buildings has been torn down Capri Motel- closed and converted to a senior's residential units. Rodd Hotels - there is talk that one or both may close. Blue Fin Motel - closed The accommodations that remain open are experiencing low occupancy rates and are having difficulty remaining open. Also a number of restaurants have closed and there are many stores on Main Street in Yarmouth that have closed and are presently empty. The ferry service to Yarmouth brings people not only to the Yarmouth area, but to all of Nova Scotia. The present tourism picture is one of most visitors coming by cruise ship which benefits the Halifax area greatly and of visitors flying into Halifax and renting a car which is a very expensive way to travel. Nova Scotia needs more jobs and supporting a ferry system could provide jobs in the terminals, on the ferries, in hotels, motels, cabins, RV parks,restaurants, grocery and other stores and at the various attractions. This is a beautiful province with great scenery, a great variety of attractions and a wide choice of accommodations and restaurants. The TV ads for Nova Scotia this year are well done and encourage people to want to vacation here. The problem is how do they get here. If they wish to drive their own car, the present option of driving to St. John to cross on the Digby ferry is a much longer drive and usually requires an extra day on the road. Many prospective visitors check websites that still have the ferry service from the states listed as a means of getting here. A friend who owns a bed and breakfast receives calls for reservations and the tourists tell her that they will be coming on the Bar Harbour ferry. She has to tell them it is no longer running and the prospective guest says that is too long a trip and they will go elsewhere. Also for those of us who have summer residences in the Yarmouth area find it very time consuming for the occasional trip back to the US. It is also difficult to encourage family and friends to come for a visit when the trip is so long. This also results in a loss of income to businesses and taxes to the province. This is encouraging some of the summer residents to sell their summer homes and for others not to purchase a vacation home here. The summer visitors contribute to the economy and if the Yarmouth ferry service is not restored a significant amount of this income will be lost to the province. We pay property taxes and HST tax and do not ask for or receive the benefits of citizens. This should result in a net profit for the province. Of all the businesses in Nova Scotia, tourism is the one that has the greatest potential to continue to provide jobs now and in the future. The accommodations, restaurants, and attractions already exist. All that is needed is ferry service restored. Yours truly, Concetta Jeanne Renkun

Tourism and the economy of Nova Scotia is down the tubes. My personal experience: my mom passed away last year and I had to drive around the horn to try and see her before she passed, she took an unexpected turn for the worse and flying was out of the question financially . What could have been a 9 hour trip ( 3hours via the CAT), turned into a 2 day trip. I was blessed and made it in time, but just in time to say goodbye. My brother and his family, not to mention numerous family and friends who would love to see our beautiful province, can't come due to lack of travel time because of work. I can't imagine what the government was thinking, sooner or later they won't be able to get taxes out of people who have limited or no income. It's time they smartened up!

We have a vacation rental called ''Le Logis des Abbes Vacation Rental'' in Surette's Island ,Yarmouth County, NS. Just had an inquiry from people in Rhode Island who wanted to book our rental. I gave them all details and they replied last nite that they are making reservations on the ferry from Maine and want to book once reservations are made. Obviously, i had to reply that there were no ferries!!!! They since have cancelled. We also have lost 2 seniors who have been coming to the Island for 25 years, they are getting on in age and cannot do the drive anymore to St.John, they had been taking the ferry in Bar Harbor for all those years and have found the St. John trip too exhausting, so it's been bad for business these past 3 years as a lot of people who used to come had a lot of connection to this province, but without the ferry,have just decided ''no more''. I don't know how much longer we can hold on....Guy and Patsy Surette

The ferry was our life line, to visit our children in the US and for them to reach us. March 28 2010, my kids tried to reach in time their father dead bed.. To no avail, no ferry in Portland, and when they reached St John the ferry was on dry dock for repairs. It was a long, long drive for them to arrive in Shelburne......too late..what a sorrow! I thank the people who are trying so hard to convince the the power to be to reestablish the much needed connection

I have been coming to Nova Scotia every year since 1988 and at the present time have a summer home here. One of the reasons for coming here was the convenience of ferry service from Portland and Bar Harbor.The lack of ferry service from Bar Harbor to Yarmouth has resulted in many friends and relatives postpoing visits until that ferry service is restored. Tourism is an important part of the Nova Scotia economy. The restaurants, accommodations, attractions, wonderful scenery and people are all already in place. All that is needed is a return of a ferry to energize tourism. The ferry also should provide transportation for trucks, tour buses and Rvs as well as passenger vehicles. The loss of shops, acommodations and restaurants in the Yarmouth area is truly tragic . Other industries are getting far more support from the governement even if their futures are not certain. Tourism has everything in place except a ferry from the US to Nova Scotia. The climate changes resulting in extremely hot weather in the US and parts of Canada is a reason for tourists to come to Nova Scotia to enjoy the cooler weather along the coasts. If there was a convenient way to get here, they would come. Most would prefer to drive here so that can travel around the province in their own vehicle . Many prospective visitors assume that there is still ferry service from Bar Harbor and when they learn it no longer exists they go somewhere else. Most ferry systems in Canada and the rest of the world receive govenment support . The return of ferry service is far overdue. Jeanne Renkun

My wife and I have only been to Nova Scotia (and PEI) once, but we fell in love with it. Most of my heritage is based in Nova Scotia and it was a great experience to see where my ancestors were born and raised. Unfortunately, the idea of such a long car ride (from Western Massachusetts) is very daunting. I learned of the loss of ferry service the when I went to book reservations the year the service was terminated. We we were so disappointed. We had planned to look at potential vacation homes on our next trip. The ferry service is essential for us to get back and forth, so that "next trip" has never occurred. Please bring back a ferry service to NS - Boston, Portland, Bar Harbor - any of those will work. Regards, John Bourbonnais Agawam, MA

Much of my heritage is in Southwest Nova Scotia and I have travelled and vacationed here my entire life; with my family and friends. Several years ago I made the life-altering decision to move to this area because of my deep, heartfelt love of the province, its beauty and its people. I am now a permanent resident of Canada. The hours I put in every single week (day) as a volunteer in every aspect of my new town are extensive. I have become very heavily involved in museums, churches, lighthouse assoc., yacht club, retail stores, etc. I am on Executive Boards, Boards of Trustees, etc. and have been very involved in tourism in the area covering everything from my town to my new province; i.e., Destination Southwest Nova. I love it here and I have made it my home. Due to the loss of the ferry, I have lost most of my contact with my New England family and friends. We can not travel to and from with the ease of the past. My family is on the internet – rare visits and rare hugs. If the ferry is not restored, it will force me to not become a citizen of Canada and I will be forced, with tremendous sadness, to move away from the friends and home I have made for myself here in Southwest Nova Scotia. I don’t know if you realize this but many of the small towns rely on their volunteers and the loss of even one should not be acceptable. How many will leave Nova Scotia simply because they can not visit family?

I have traveled & visited my family in Nova Scotia for well over 60 years. I have viewed the goverment so called leaders trying to save money or get more taxes from the outlanders a/k/a vistors in many different ways. The most foolish decision of all was the stoping of the NS-USA ferry. Halifax your core city is doing well, but the rest of NS rely on the tourist trade & summer homes . Requiring vacation homeowners to hire craffsman to work on the homes they buy, plus all the other money they spend & taxes they pay. Then Add in the food and housing the weekenders would spend that no longer can use the NS-USA ferry. Add again familys (like myself) who would with the ferry visite a couple times a year are visting less. That is A lot of work and cash not coming to NS. Put the ferry's back into service and feed another 15 to 20 million back into the pockets of the NS workers.

My husband and I love Nova Scotia’s clean air, moderate temperature, friendly people, and relaxing atmosphere. That is why we have been spending our summers here for more than twenty-five years. Since the demise of the ferry service from Portland to Yarmouth one fact stands out: it is now very difficult and expensive to get here from the United States. As the crow flies, Nova Scotia is not far from the northeast United States megalopolis formed by Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington. All are within a two- to eight-hour drive of Portland, Maine, where you could once take your car (or tour operators could take their buses and cargo movers could take their trucks) on board the Scotia Prince. The drive from those same cities to any of the primary visitors‘ destinations in Nova Scotia is between thirteen and twenty-one hours; too far for a one day drive, especially for a family. One must pay dearly to avoid the inconvenience of driving. If you book well ahead of your travel date, you may get a round trip rate of around $500 per person. For this rate, unless you are taking the small aircraft which operates four times a week between Yarmouth and Portland, you will need to spend a long time on your trip with a change of planes in Toronto or elsewhere. For non-stop service you will need to pay about $200 more per person. For an example, when my son and granddaughter booked two months in advance for a round trip from Washington to Halifax the fare for the two of them was $1300. For most people, flying also requires a car rental. You are in for much more expense if you are unable to plan your trip far in advance. My husband and I needed to make a trip to Boston for an unplanned emergency. Booking only five days ahead the non-stop flight would be $4200 for the two of us. Astonishing! Nova Scotia is very attractive to residents of the northeast U.S., but they do need to have some reasonable way to get here. The Scotia Prince was not free, but it took the place of a night in a hotel, and with food and entertainment became a part of the vacation. The same advantages applied to tour groups and truck drivers. The Cat ferry never provided the same benefits. For the good of everyone, I hope there will be a resumption of a reasonable ferry service between the northeast U.S. and Nova Scotia. Priscilla M. Thompson

I just returned home from Visiting Yarmouth. It was a bitter sweet trip. I love the area and the people. It is so sad that so many businesses have either closed or do not offer the services they used too. 99.99 % of the downsizing is due to the Ferry Service being shut down. In the past i would bring the ferry from Portland to Yarmouth. This time i drove to Saint John and brought the Digby Ferry across. I ended up having to Drive around on my return to the States. The Digby Ferry was in dry dock for repairs. The time driving really cut into the time i had alloted for my Holiday.

stop giving money to polluting fish farms and failing pulp mills that just take the money and run. Tourism is what keeps this province alive, bring back the ferry, it's our money, listen to your employer, the public.

I don't think I have anything to add to the list of adverse effects the loss of the ferry has had on Yarmouth. The concerned citizens below have done an excellent job stating their cases. My wife and I have lived in the area all our lives and have witnessed the continuing decline in infrastructure, business, and good jobs. We have watched as many young people and family we knew have gone and continue to leave this area. We have watched business after business close. And yet, nothing is done. No action, just talk and more studies, committees, and dithering. What does the premier have against SW Nova? Is it because we didn't vote NDP in the last election, perhaps? Does he not realize that his decisions here are affecting the whole tourist industry province-wide? Why does Mr. Dexter see fit to continue handing out millions of dollars to everyone but us? I fear that some of the damage done may never be reversed at this point even if by some miracle we did get our ferry back.

I would like to see a year round ferry service like we had years ago, not just a seasonal ferry. I used to make the trip to visit relatives in the US 4 to 5 times a year and they would do the same. At that time the ferry was usually booked in advance because the fisherman were using the service to transport their lobsters and truckers to transport their goods. When this service was changed to seasonal everything changed. Family's were cut off, businesses declined, our economy started going down hill. Now with no ferry service I feel like we live at the other end of the world.