The toll to cross the Confederation Bridge is dropping from just over $50 to $20 dollars, fulfilling a Liberal campaign promise. Maria Sarrouh has more. <\/p>\n
The cost of getting on and off Prince Edward Island is about to drop significantly. <\/p>\n
Starting Friday, the federal government will cut Confederation Bridge tolls from just over $50 to $20 for all vehicles. Fares on ferry routes connecting Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick will also be reduced by 50 per cent, with fuel surcharges eliminated. <\/p>\n
Additionally, Ottawa is funding Marine Atlantic Inc. to halve fares between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador, and to freeze freight rates.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the changes Monday morning during a visit to Albany, P.E.I. near the Confederation Bridge.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re doing that to bring Atlantic Canada closer together, bring Canadians closer together,\u201d Carney said.<\/p>\n
The long-anticipated changes are in line with campaign commitments Carney made earlier this year to make transportation more affordable across Atlantic Canada in the face of a trade war with the U.S. <\/p>\n
U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s threat to implement even higher tariffs on Canadian goods \u2013 from 25 to 35 per cent \u2013 is also set to apply Friday.<\/p>\n
Nearly one million vehicles cross it every year. Business leaders say every truckload of supplies drives up the price of operating on the island. <\/p>\n
Frederic Gionet, Atlantic director with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, said the province\u2019s potato industry alone faces about $7 million in direct and indirect toll-related costs every year.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor them, it\u2019s a tax on their industry, versus those on the mainland,\u201d Gionet said.<\/p>\n
In a statement to CTV News, Greg Donald, general manager of the P.E.I Potato Board wrote: \u201cEvery bit helps in today\u2019s climate of rising costs\u2026 any breaks in transportation costs is good news for our growers and the broader industry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ferry routes are also key to moving more than just passengers. They carry essential goods – including produce, medical supplies and home heating fuel – across the region.<\/p>\n
\u201cCutting those costs means more reliable supply chains and lower prices for consumers,\u201d said Chrystia Freeland, Canada\u2019s minister of transport and internal trade.<\/p>\n
While the toll reduction is expected to be popular, critics have raised concerns about shifting the cost burden to taxpayers – including maintenance. But P.E.I.\u2019s Premier Rob Lantz say it\u2019s about fairness. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s often the Champlain Bridge in Montreal that\u2019s cited, a bridge that was replaced at great cost to Canadian taxpayers with no toll,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
In B.C., Premier David Eby didn\u2019t quite agree. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to watch the federal government show up on the east coast and subsidize ferry users that already get a $300 subsidy per each $1 that a B.C. ferry user gets,\u201d Eby said.<\/p>\n
The Confederation Bridge stretches 12.9 kilometres and is billed as the world\u2019s longest bridge over ice-covered waters. It\u2019s a federally owned asset, built at a cost of $1 billion and opened in 1997. It\u2019s currently operated by Strait Crossing Bridge Ltd., a private company. <\/p>\n