I live in the Mid-Atlantic region of the USA, and many years ago my wife and I took the Blue Nose ferry to Yarmouth then drove and camped all the way north to Meat Cove on Cape Breton Island. Ever since then I have wanted to return to Nova Scotia, to explore its grandeur on a motorcycle instead. This summer a friend and I started to make plans to head to NS, with a limited amount of time to do so. To my disbelief I find the US to Nova Scotia ferry isn't running anymore! So we are having to rethink this trip totally. I know that southern NS could have really used the dollars we would have spent there too. Sorry Nova Scotia, maybe another time when I have more time, or when a very obvious tourist life line to the USA is started up again.

My wife and I visited Nova Scotia about 10 years ago. We used the guide book sent to us to get our bed and breakfast accommodations we loved the trip and would like to see the Cape Breton part but we are now 10 years older. At 66 and 76 the drive is pretty tough. But if we could drive to Maine and then take the ferry to Nova Scotia we wold definitely put it in our travel plans.

It's June 2013 and still no word when the ferry between Maine and Nova Scotia will be operational. Once again, we are planing our trip to our cottage in Shelburne, NS. Planning to drive from Florida and would very much like to catch the ferry in Portland, ME vs the added route to New Brunswick. Please let us know the status of the new ferry! Thanks! We need it now, but are hanging on for the promise of 2014. When you say 2014 we hope it's May 2014 and not December 2014!

I have always traveled to the eastern states from my home in Truro, NS, to show my horses. I recently moved a horse to Maine for training. I have to drive over 8 hours whenever I want to go ride him. If there was a ferry, I would be saved over 4 hours of travel time, let alone help with the driving time. I have also talked to many people in Maine who say they have stopped vacationing in Nova Scotia since the cessation of the ferry.

We've been going to SW Nova Scotia every summer for the past 10 years. My wife is now pretty much refusing to make the trip because of the length of the drive to St. John, NB and the difficulty of driving that far with our now 3 year old child. A Portland ferry would change the equation for us, though the details are important. Trolling the internet for news about the ferry is frustrating; there is minimal information--no sense about where things are headed, and the conditions under which a new ferry service might run. How much would it cost? How long would it take? If traveling overnight, what would be the availability of cabins? It seems to me that the provincial government should be more forthcomming with the details regarding the requirements for bidders, and the state of affairs with respect to infrastructure improvements at the terminal in Yarmouth. More transparency would make it easier for both individuals and businesses to plan for the future, and would reveal to everyone just how feasible a new service is.

Hi I attended university in Halifax in the late 1970s, worked in Bar Harbor Me, am a dual citizen (canadian and american) and so purchasing over 25 acres of oceanfront property was a dream of mine. I did that with a business partner several years back. We sold a few acres so that we could eventually build ocean front dream homes for others. Unfortunately, your inability to continue the ferry service has put us in a serious financial position. I can't sell some of my property but continue to pay my property taxes. Which ironically continue to go up. I am a realtor in Lexington KY and am very aware of the market trends. I worry about Yarmouth. I worry that this lack of investment in your beautiful province will create a problem for everyone. Tourists, residents, etc. Please invest in our future. Karen

I was born in Nova Scotia and have family in Digby. I am a dual american and canadian citizen . I have wanted to move back to Digby for a long time . If there were a ferry going back and forth to Portland that surely would make my decision to move back so much more desirable. I can assure you the tourist travel would add so much to Yarmouth and Nova Scotias economy. .I read in a portland newspaper in February almost as if the ferrry were a done deal. However when talking to my brother in Digby no one seems to know whats going on. Please advise whats happening and if letters of interest from US and Europe expressing interest would help in anyway. Thankyou and I am excited at the prospect of having the ferry service to the US close by.. When its a go I will make the journey back to Nova scotia . :) Margaret

I've been trying to get to Nova Scotia for surfing for years. I would have made at least three runs in the last two years if the ferry service had still be operational. I know others like me who would have done the same. Bo Allen USA Citizen, Rhode Island

As an avid golfer, I am dying to get to Cabot Links, the new links course in Nova Scotia...I'm so disappointed there isn't a ferry to take me from Boston or Portland. Please get this partnership/business back up and running, The links will definitely lose a tremendous amount of money...

My husband and I purchased a summer home near Annapolis Royal in 2003. Our winter home is in Massachusetts. Although we have not yet done so, for the past several years, we have considered putting the summer home on the market and selling it. It has become too much of a burden to make the trip up without the ferry service. I'm afraid that the beautiful little towns in the area are being seriously hurt by lack of tourism between the lack of accessible transportation and the falling American dollar - I can see it already. American tourists are NOT going to be visiting SW Nova Scotia via car when other parts of the province are closer and more easily accessible. The Portland-Yarmouth ferry does not need to be a "luxury liner" - it needs to be a practical mode of transportation similar to the ferry from St John-Digby.

We used the ferries from Yarmouth for years, but the drive is so long to get there it is prohibitive, as is the air fare. Unfortunately we have stopped visiting NS for that reason. Yes, it takes a subsidy to float a ferry service as fares alone will never pay the whole cost. However, roads and bridges are also subsidized, one way or the other. Terminating the subsidy was extremely short-sighted, as the indirect costs to the people of NS are actually higher than the annual subsidy. What a shame.

I just reccomended to a colleage a vacation in Nova Scotia. I told her how easy it was to do from New Jersey. A 6 Hour car ride to Portland. Catch the ferry which is like getting a hotel room, and the next morning you wake up and you are in Nova Scotia. Now I find out there is no Ferry. It really does make a week vacation in Nova Scotia prohibitive, and therefore she and her family will not be visiting Canada. The other part is that I am sure the southern part of Nova Scotia has lost immense amount of tourist due to the lack of a ferry which sort of forced you to see that part of the province. It really is a costly shame for the Province and those of us who have used the ferry in the past with great delight.

We have a summer home near Digby, NS. Given that we live in Chicago, getting there has not been easy since the ferry stopped service from Portland to Yarmouth. It's because of this that we no longer travel to NS every year. Once ferry service starts up, we will be yearly travelers once again!

We have had a campground business on hold for years in Shelburne County due to the lack of accessibility to southwest Nova Scotia without a ferry in place. We are waiting for a guarantee of service before we proceed. Our family would love nothing more than to be part of the solution to the economic woes in this area, but we cannot invest another dollar until service is a go.

Our family first visited Nova Scotia when my oldest son entered the Naval Academy prep school in Newport, Rhode Island. It became a tradition to continue our trek North whenever we returned him to Annapolis every summer. We loved the old ferry and that wonderfully unpredictable cruise to Yarmouth. For a girl who grew up on North Carolina's Down East shore, Nova Scotia's lonely beach scape and friendly folk reminded me of the North Carolina of my youth. Please bring back the ferry and we will come to Nova Scotia again. Our kids still tease about how Mom's going to move to Nova Scotia when she retires. Truly though, this old school principal would dearly love to see Nova Scotia again. Best wishes to a lovely province, Elaine Justice

I reside in Gettysburg, Pa. and have been a grand visitor to Canada and 6 of the Provinces. When the Cessation of Ferry travel from Maine to Nova Scotia occurred it seriously hampered our travel plans. Like most other travelers, the thought and costs involved to drive those 750 or more miles each way was of nightmarish proportion that almost sent me int PTSD from the horrors of the 1960's when the road was tar and cinder. I've been informed that it is still about the same.. I have had the pleasure of twice being aboard the CN Ferry with autos from Maine It was the most pleasant travel I ever experienced. These....the words of a 15 year veteran Rail Road Police Officer who traveled the eastern seaboard as part of my duties--now shaken into retirement. Whoever thought up that scheme to end the prior Ferry services must have been a Gasoline /Petrol Magnet from OPEC. .The cost of all that wasted fuel and tires simply to travel about in the desolate forests of New Brunswick and beyond. I also enjoyed the Ferr from N.S. to New Foundland,, many years ago. Both offered a great period of rest and relaxation, great food and the luxury of almost an Ocean Cruise. PLEASE--reconvene this cherished mode of travel. I do enjoy my time of relaxation--not spent driving 1,600 miles round trip ...It's not fun in today's automobiles.. that ride worse then the Overland Stage coach.. Thank you.

I have not sent in a testimony before , my story is like most of the others , I own property and have business interests in Nova Scotia . I am an Americian , I have used the Scotia Prince , the Cat and now the Digby ferry. I respect the government findings that the two bids received did not meet the qualificatins set forth . I must admit though, I got excited as I read about the bid from Quest Navigation and that shinny new ferry they had in mind . It sounds perfect , the concept of the Scotia Prince was correct , but the boat had become tired and smelled a bit . There is an old quote , it's not only the destination , the journey is part of the experience also . What better way to begin a Nova Scotia experience than on a new vessel , with nice resturants , probably a casino ? and other amenities . It might sound shallow and not the most practical logic, , but if I am reading the studies correctly , the tourist dollar is what will carry this venture . I'm sure there are other ships out there in the world , this one sounded like the answer to Nova Scotia's prayers .

Local residents and businessmen are expressing doubt that there will ever be another ferry to New England. With all due respect for the time and effort of Neal LeBlanc and Keith Condon, neither individual has ever been in a business that depended on a ferry to New England and , therefore, their sense of urgency is suspect! The Federal Government has supposedly committed to the renovation of the Yarmouth Ferry Terminal and dredging of the harbour, so what are they waiting for? Is it "the chicken or egg approach" or is it just political BS ? Getting the renovations started would put some preasure on the Provincial Government, lift the spirits of those tourist dependent businesses hanging on, and remove some uncertainty as to when a vessel, if acquired, could begin to service our port. Will $21 million over seven (7) years be enough. The figure seems unrealistic (too small), just like the the Gardiner Pinfold study which only attributes $16.3 million to tourist spending by our ferry passengers. A recent newspaper article attributed $700 of spending per three (3) day visit and $1500 per seven (7) day visit. If the 320,000 visitors in 2002 only contributed $16.3 million, then something is wrong because that's only $51 per visitor?? A recent request by a member of the SW Nova Scotia Economic Council for tourist data from the Province was refused on the basis that there was a select committee reviewing the data and preparing a report . That data has never been made public. What are they hiding? There are 315 million potential tourists in our neighbor to the South. Visitors come from every State, not just a days drive from Portland. We want them all, so don't limit your sight or our asperations. Get your numbers right and bring both Federal and Provincial governments to the table and see who can put up first. Then go after those across the Bay. Nova Scotia needs a boat now!

It is vital for my future trips from florida to nova scotia to have a ferry that operates from yarmouth to portland, maine, the cat ferry did not work is because it did not accommodate the large transport trucks. Makes sense so lets get the transport trucks on the ferry and make it work financially for everyone. I am a property owner in nova scotia, we need an easier way to get across to the states, the tourism that we need as nova scotia is a beautiful province, with so much to offer.

My family has been spending our summers on the South Shore of Nova Scotia since my grandfather built our cottage in 1930. Our family has been in the area since the first settlers. In my youth I remember the Bluenose in Bar Harbor, and then, as an adult with my own family, the Prince of Fundy & Cat in Portland. It made the trip from Maryland do-able. Since service has been discontinued, I've driven several times, and even took the Digby ferry once, but without a ferry from Portland, I don't see how I'll be able continue in the coming years. Flying and renting a car is cost prohibitive for me, though I've done it the last 2 years. To rent a car for 2 weeks is around $1000. Driving the entire way, leaves me with less vacation time and I'm exhausted for days before and after. I can't believe some kind of option can't be agreed upon. Even seasonally. My Canadian neighbors in business are floundering. I'm looking at my options for my annual trip right now, and am actually devestated to even THINK that I might not be able to swing it. Either I go into debt to fly and rent a car, or I exhaust myself and drive. And gas prices to drive? I'm between a rock and a hard place. But I just don't think I will LIVE if I don't get to my Nova Scotia beach for my peace and rejuvination this summer. Or any summer. I am at a loss.