NS: Ferry terminal divestiture gets green light

[YARMOUTH, NS] — Proceedings for divestiture of Yarmouth’s ferry terminal to the Yarmouth Area Industrial Commission (YAIC) have received the go ahead from the Town of Yarmouth after a special meeting of council on Monday at noon.

On March 11, council approved a motion to appoint the YAIC — the owners and operators of the Port of Yarmouth — as the lead organization in efforts to restore an international ferry service to Yarmouth.

It did not approve the second half of that original motion, which was to work towards ownership of the ferry terminal from Transport Canada through divestiture.

When Dave Whiting, Yarmouth’s port manager, heard the news, he was very upset.

Whiting, who spoke at Monday’s meeting, says he has been in contact with four parties that are interested in providing ferry service for 2011, but that none of them are interested if the ferry terminal is still in control of Bay Ferries, which has a 15-year lease on the complex.

“That’s their competition,” he said.

Whiting says the second part of the motion is an essential component of the resolution that Transport Canada requires to supply status for dealing with them on the ferry terminal.

“If the service isn’t in place by August, it’s not going to happen for 2011. We’re running out of time,” he said.

Yarmouth Port Manager Dave Whiting stressed the importance of immediately proceeding with the divestiture of the ferry terminal at a special meeting of Yarmouth Town Council on March 15. — Carla Allen photo

Although Bay Ferries does hold the lease, Whiting says he has been in discussions with the company and they have indicated that they do not want to stand in the way of the community.

Council had balked at the second half of the motion on March 11, with councillors expressing concerns about a recent provincial ombudsman’s report about SWSDA and its relationship with the YAIC. It wanted more information before the divestiture took place.

The YAIC has representation on its board from all municipal units in Yarmouth County. The municipalities of Yarmouth and Argyle have already approved the divestiture motion.

The general consensus at the end of Monday’s meeting was that there was a lack of communication as to the urgency of the divestiture.

Councillor Esther Dares put forward the motion to allow the YAIC to obtain ownership of the Yarmouth International Ferry Terminal from Transport Canada through a process of divestiture. The motion passed five to one with councillor Neil Mackenzie voting against.

Although the divestiture process can take several years, Whiting is happy the process has begun. He says he notified MP Greg Kerr immediately after the meeting and that he will notify the transport minister.

“At that point we have to sit down and see just what it is they are going to do in the short term and long term. Are they going to divest it? Are they going to rebuild the terminal and give it to us for a dollar? There are a number of possibilities,” he said.