Canada slashes Confederation Bridge toll to $20 starting Friday
The federal government is cutting tolls on the Confederation Bridge – the only road connection between Prince Edward Island and the rest of Canada – from just over $50 to $20 beginning this Friday, Aug. 1.
Fares on ferry routes between the province and Nova Scotia are also set to drop by 50 per cent. Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the changes Monday morning during a visit to Albany, P.E.I. It's a major shift for Islanders, businesses, and tourists who rely on the crossing to travel on and off the Island.
'By cutting tolls on the Confederation Bridge and ferries in Atlantic Canada, Canadians and businesses will save millions of dollars,' said Carney. 'That means more travel and trade between provinces, a stronger, more united economy, and more prosperity and opportunity for Canadians.'
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.
President Donald Trump's tariffs on Canadian goods are expected to increase from 25 to 35 per cent on Friday.
P.E.I. Premier Rob Lantz has called the Confederation Bridge tolls a trade barrier.
Nearly one million vehicles cross it every year. Business leaders say every truckload of supplies drives up the cost of operating on the island. The province's potato industry is one of the hardest hit with up to $7 million in toll-related costs.
For Islanders who travel frequently for medical treatment, especially in New Brunswick, the cuts could save hundreds of dollars a year.
Currently, the toll for a standard two-axle vehicle to cross the Confederation Bridge is $50.25. It's even higher for trucks or bigger vehicles.
While the toll reduction is expected to be popular, critics have raised concerns about whether it will simply shift the financial burden onto taxpayers.
The Confederation Bridge stretches 12.9 kilometres and is billed as Canada's longest bridge over ice-covered waters. It's a federally owned asset, built at a cost of $1 billion and opened in 1997.
In July, frustration was growing over the lack of a firm timeline to deliver on the promised toll cuts. Egmont MP Robert Morrissey, who served in the provincial government that oversaw the bridge's development, said negotiations between the federal government and the bridge's operator Strait Crossing Bridge Limited would be required.
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