Latest news with #InterprovincialTradeandMobilityAct
Winnipeg Free Press
28-05-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
P.E.I. premier asks Ottawa for timeline on bridge and ferry toll reductions
FREDERICTON – The premier of Prince Edward Island is asking the federal government for an update on the timeline to reduce the tolls for the Confederation Bridge and Northumberland Ferries to improve interprovincial trade to and from the mainland. Rob Lantz said in a letter to federal Transport Minister Chrystia Freeland that bridge and ferry tolls are seen as a significant trade barrier, increasing everyday costs. 'As discussed, these tolls continue to represent the most significant internal trade barrier facing our province,' he said in the letter dated May 16. 'Nearly every good moving to and from Prince Edward Island depends on these routes and the associated costs place a real and ongoing burden on our economy. They reduce the competitiveness of island businesses, increasing the cost of living and limit our ability to participate fully in Canada's domestic market.' His government has done its part to remove interprovincial trade barriers, he said, including passing of the Interprovincial Trade and Mobility Act. Lantz also noted that patients, students and workers rely on the bridge and ferry for access to health care, education and essential services. The Confederation Bridge stretches across 12.9-kilometres, and is billed as Canada's longest flyover. It's a federally owned asset, costing $1 billion to build. It is managed by Strait Crossing Bridge Ltd., a private company that has the exclusive right to collect all tolls until 2032. Transport Canada spokeswoman Sau Sau Liu said in an email the annual traffic on the Confederation Bridge is about 990,000 vehicles. Strait Crossing received funding from Transport Canada to avoid increasing the tolls, and the charge remains at the 2022 rate of $50.25 per passenger vehicle, she said. The federal government paid the company $2.87 million in 2021 and $1.62 million in 2022 to cover lost revenue because of COVID-19, Liu said. It also paid the company $2.5 million in 2023, $4.5 million in 2024 and $5.4 million in 2025 in lieu of increasing tolls for the bridge users for those years, she said. Alexis Reynaud, spokesman for Strait Crossing Bridge, did not share how much the company has collected in tolls per year since 2019. 'Strait Crossing Bridge Limited is a private organization. The information you are looking for is confidential,' he said in an email. Northumberland Ferries is headquartered in Charlottetown and operates ferry services between the three Maritime provinces and Maine. The ferry charges $23 per person between Wood Islands, P.E.I., and Caribou, N.S. Between Saint John, N.B., and Digby, N.S., it charges $71 during off-season. The rates go up to $91 during peak season, which runs from late June to mid-October. Liu said the ferry service between Wood Islands, P. E.I., and Caribou, N.S., operates from May 1 to Dec. 20, and serves around 275,000 a year. Between 2019-20 and 2023-24, the federal government gave, on average, about $17 million per year to Northumberland Ferries, she said. Kelly Williams, director of corporate services for Northumberland Ferries, said the fares amount to about $6 million on average during a 'normal' season. During the election campaign, the federal Liberals promised to lower the Confederation Bridge tolls by more than half — from $50 to $20 — and by at least half for ferries on certain routes. In the throne speech Tuesday, the government said internal trade barriers cost the country about $200 billion each year. While numerous premiers, including those of Atlantic provinces, have taken steps to tear down those trade barriers, the government promised to introduce legislation by Canada Day to remove all remaining federal barriers. However, a statement from Freeland's office did not give a timeline on when the government would reduce tolls. 'Ferry service is essential for tourists, residents and businesses who need to have safe and reliable options to travel,' the statement said. 'That's why we're making the Confederation Bridge, Northumberland and Marine Atlantic, and the Coopérative de Transport Maritime et Aérien Ferries more affordable. We will ensure fair and equal treatment for PEI's bridge and ferry access.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 27, 2025.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
P.E.I. premier asks Ottawa for timeline on bridge and ferry toll reductions
FREDERICTON — The premier of Prince Edward Island is asking the federal government for an update on the timeline to reduce the tolls for the Confederation Bridge and Northumberland Ferries to improve interprovincial trade to and from the mainland. Rob Lantz said in a letter to federal Transport Minister Chrystia Freeland that bridge and ferry tolls are seen as a significant trade barrier, increasing everyday costs. "As discussed, these tolls continue to represent the most significant internal trade barrier facing our province," he said in the letter dated May 16. "Nearly every good moving to and from Prince Edward Island depends on these routes and the associated costs place a real and ongoing burden on our economy. They reduce the competitiveness of island businesses, increasing the cost of living and limit our ability to participate fully in Canada's domestic market." His government has done its part to remove interprovincial trade barriers, he said, including passing of the Interprovincial Trade and Mobility Act. Lantz also noted that patients, students and workers rely on the bridge and ferry for access to health care, education and essential services. The Confederation Bridge stretches across 12.9-kilometres, and is billed as Canada's longest flyover. It's a federally owned asset, costing $1 billion to build. It is managed by Strait Crossing Bridge Ltd., a private company that has the exclusive right to collect all tolls until 2032. Transport Canada spokeswoman Sau Sau Liu said in an email the annual traffic on the Confederation Bridge is about 990,000 vehicles. Strait Crossing received funding from Transport Canada to avoid increasing the tolls, and the charge remains at the 2022 rate of $50.25 per passenger vehicle, she said. The federal government paid the company $2.87 million in 2021 and $1.62 million in 2022 to cover lost revenue because of COVID-19, Liu said. It also paid the company $2.5 million in 2023, $4.5 million in 2024 and $5.4 million in 2025 in lieu of increasing tolls for the bridge users for those years, she said. Alexis Reynaud, spokesman for Strait Crossing Bridge, did not share how much the company has collected in tolls per year since 2019. "Strait Crossing Bridge Limited is a private organization. The information you are looking for is confidential," he said in an email. Northumberland Ferries is headquartered in Charlottetown and operates ferry services between the three Maritime provinces and Maine. The ferry charges $23 per person between Wood Islands, P.E.I., and Caribou, N.S. Between Saint John, N.B., and Digby, N.S., it charges $71 during off-season. The rates go up to $91 during peak season, which runs from late June to mid-October. Liu said the ferry service between Wood Islands, P. E.I., and Caribou, N.S., operates from May 1 to Dec. 20, and serves around 275,000 a year. Between 2019-20 and 2023-24, the federal government gave, on average, about $17 million per year to Northumberland Ferries, she said. Kelly Williams, director of corporate services for Northumberland Ferries, said the fares amount to about $6 million on average during a "normal" season. During the election campaign, the federal Liberals promised to lower the Confederation Bridge tolls by more than half — from $50 to $20 — and by at least half for ferries on certain routes. In the throne speech Tuesday, the government said internal trade barriers cost the country about $200 billion each year. While numerous premiers, including those of Atlantic provinces, have taken steps to tear down those trade barriers, the government promised to introduce legislation by Canada Day to remove all remaining federal barriers. However, a statement from Freeland's office did not give a timeline on when the government would reduce tolls. "Ferry service is essential for tourists, residents and businesses who need to have safe and reliable options to travel," the statement said. "That's why we're making the Confederation Bridge, Northumberland and Marine Atlantic, and the Coopérative de Transport Maritime et Aérien Ferries more affordable. We will ensure fair and equal treatment for PEI's bridge and ferry access.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 27, 2025. Hina Alam, The Canadian Press
Hamilton Spectator
27-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
P.E.I. premier asks federal government for timeline on bridge & ferry toll reductions
FREDERICTON - The premier of Prince Edward Island is asking Ottawa for an update on the federal plan to reduce tolls on the Confederation Bridge and fares charged by Northumberland Ferries. In a recent letter to federal Transport Minister Chrystia Freeland, Premier Rob Lantz says the fees are trade barriers that boost the cost of living and reduce the competitiveness of Island businesses. He says they also hinder off-Island access to essential services like health care and education. Lantz says his government has done its part to remove interprovincial trade barriers by passing the Interprovincial Trade and Mobility Act. During the recent federal election campaign, the Liberals led by Mark Carney promised to lower the bridge tolls by more than half, and to reduce the cost of certain ferry routes by at least half. A statement from Freeland's office did not say when the federal government would reduce the tolls and fares. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 27, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
27-05-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
P.E.I. premier asks federal government for timeline on bridge & ferry toll reductions
FREDERICTON – The premier of Prince Edward Island is asking Ottawa for an update on the federal plan to reduce tolls on the Confederation Bridge and fares charged by Northumberland Ferries. In a recent letter to federal Transport Minister Chrystia Freeland, Premier Rob Lantz says the fees are trade barriers that boost the cost of living and reduce the competitiveness of Island businesses. He says they also hinder off-Island access to essential services like health care and education. Lantz says his government has done its part to remove interprovincial trade barriers by passing the Interprovincial Trade and Mobility Act. During the recent federal election campaign, the Liberals led by Mark Carney promised to lower the bridge tolls by more than half, and to reduce the cost of certain ferry routes by at least half. A statement from Freeland's office did not say when the federal government would reduce the tolls and fares. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 27, 2025.
CBC
20-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
Even parts of the P.E.I. government say we're moving to eliminate trade barriers too quickly
Social Sharing As the P.E.I. government moves full steam ahead toward an agreement to reduce trade barriers and improve labour mobility with Nova Scotia, Ontario and any other provinces that want to join, there are entreaties for the province to slow down — including from within the P.E.I. government itself. Premier Rob Lantz tabled a bill on April 11 modelled on similar legislation recently enacted in Nova Scotia. The goal is to have participating provinces enact laws to recognize each others' regulations, standards and accreditation programs to eliminate trade barriers and promote labour mobility. But professional associations and other groups consulted by the P.E.I. government in the lead-up to tabling its legislation complained the province was moving too quickly and cautioned about potential unintended consequences from the effort that could put the public at risk. One of the complaints came from the director of the province's Financial and Consumer Services Division, according to emails that Lantz tabled in the legislature on April 16. "It is unfortunate the division was not made aware of this parallel legislative initiative," Steve Dowling wrote in an April 4 email to staff with the Department of Workforce and Advance Learning. P.E.I. premier tables act to eliminate interprovincial trade barriers in face of Trump tariffs 3 days ago Duration 1:57 Prince Edward Island Premier Rob Lantz says his new Interprovincial Trade and Mobility Act will make it easier to move goods from province to province, and easier for people to work in other places. The premier hopes to have it in place for Canada Day, in the face of instability regarding markets in the United States. CBC's Stacey Janzer reports. The department sent out consultation drafts of the legislation on the afternoon of Monday, March 31, asking groups to provide feedback during either of two sessions scheduled two days later. "The three-day window accorded to the division to review and respond to the proposed act contrasts significantly with our extensive, proactive and collaborative work with you" on parallel efforts to reduce trade barriers under the Canada Free Trade Agreement, Dowling wrote. Ultimately Dowling suggested his colleagues conduct further consultation and wait for more provinces to put forward similar legislation so that P.E.I. could learn from their work. Ontario tabled its bill on interprovincial trade barriers on April 16. Nova Scotia bill had to be changed The original bill put forward in Nova Scotia by the Tim Houston government required significant amendments after regulatory bodies raised concerns about unintended consequences that could put public safety at risk. Groups including the Nova Scotia Veterinary Medical Association said the original legislation would have removed their ability to monitor who was practising in the province, and leave them unable to detect people posing as regulated professionals. Similar concerns were raised during P.E.I.'s consultation process. The registrar of the P.E.I. Veterinary Medical Association, Dr. Jessie MacQuarrie, told the province the proposed legislation would leave the association with no ability to provide oversight or "impose restrictions or suspensions against veterinarians from reciprocating jurisdictions, no matter how egregious the offence." MacQuarrie also said the lack of a requirement in the legislation that accredited individuals also work from an accredited facility would mean that people "could engage in the practice of veterinary medicine from the back of a vehicle in a parking lot." She asked that her group be included as an excluded regulatory authority under the act. The legislation includes specific exclusions for health professions that fall under the Regulated Health Professions Act (which does not include veterinarians) and for the Law Society of P.E.I. Other professions can be excluded from the act when regulations are developed applying to it down the road. Additional professional groups that asked to be excluded from the new law include Island psychologists, teachers, engineers, social workers, chartered professional accountants and land surveyors. P.E.I.'s deputy minister of Housing, Land and Communities, Jamie MacDonald, advised government to limit the recognition of credentials for elevator installers from other provinces. The P.E.I. College of Pharmacy warned of a potential loophole that could let a person with an outstanding criminal charge practise on the Island by providing proof of an outdated criminal records check. The Canadian Labour Congress pointed to research suggesting increased labour mobility could lead to workers leaving one jurisdiction in search of better wages in another. The P.E.I. Association of Social Workers raised concerns that the bill could create a vacuum of professional accountability, warning that if "an individual (service user, client, or patient) experiences harm due to this legislation, there may not be recourse for the individual." Several groups including the P.E.I. Department of Justice said they would struggle to meet the requirement in the bill that certifications for professionals from other jurisdictions be provided within 10 business days. Trying to speed up progress: Lantz On Wednesday in the legislature, the Liberals and Greens filed a joint motion asking for the legislation to be sent to committee for further review. The PCs denied the unanimous consent required to let that motion be debated the same day it was tabled. People in our position have struggled for decades to make any progress on this, because it was approached from the perspective primarily of trying to harmonize regulations and laws across jurisdictions. During question period, Lantz defended comments he had made previously, that the bill represents a "quick and dirty" effort to reduce barriers to trade with other provinces. "People in our position have struggled for decades to make any progress on this, because it was approached from the perspective primarily of trying to harmonize regulations and laws across jurisdictions," Lantz said. "This is a simple approach of mutual recognition that will advance free trade across this country in the simplest way possible and the quickest way possible." Lantz has said he wants the law to be in place by July 1, the date set by Prime Minister Mark Carney to have freer trade between the provinces and territories after meeting with first ministers in March.
