N.S.-P.E.I. ferry resumes service after being out of commission for 2 weeks
CBC
The ferry running between P.E.I. and Nova Scotia has resumed weeks earlier than expected.
The first departure was at 7 a.m. Saturday from Wood Islands, P.E.I.
The service shut down June 17 after MV Confederation experienced a mechanical problem that required a new part.
It was believed the vessel wouldn't be ready to resume service until mid-July because the part wasn't stocked anywhere in the world and had to be built from scratch. The replacement was manufactured in Germany and shipped to Canada.
Shortly after the disruption was announced, an official with Northumberland Ferries told CBC that the part was like the vanilla-cream layer in an Oreo cookie, with the ship's main engine representing one chocolate wafer and the equipment powering the propellers being the other side of the cookie.
In a statement issued Friday, Northumberland Ferries said it "did everything possible to speed up the manufacturing and delivery of the new part and have been able to expedite delivery with great co-operation from the supplier and all supporting agencies."
As of Friday, MV Confederation had been off its run for nearly two weeks, leaving no vehicle or passenger ferry service between eastern P.E.I. and the mainland at the start of the busy summer tourism season.
That had many local business owners who rely on traffic from tourists taking the ferry worried about the potential impacts of a service disruption that could last for weeks.
"Tourists like the Island experience in taking the boat to or from the Island," said Gloria Shaw, manager of the Wood Islands Lighthouse Museum.
"It was a great disappointment to a lot of people when it shut down — and it very much shut down the traffic in this area."
Shaw said Canada Day is normally a slow day at the museum due to events happening in Charlottetown and elsewhere on the Island, but that Saturday was busier than what she was expecting.
"We're just very glad to see the ferry crossing today. It was a sight to behold," she said.
Not only tourists but Island residents, truckers and other business travellers were left with only two options — take the Confederation Bridge linking Borden-Carleton, P.E.I., to New Brunswick, or fly.
Alex Larkin, who's from New Glasgow, said he found out the ferry was resuming service around midnight. He said it didn't take him too long to decide to buy a ticket.
As teachers continue to raise concerns about challenges in their classrooms, the Saskatchewan government has pledged to do better when it comes to education — including a plan to expand specialized support classrooms.
Three family members are suing the Alberta government and a company that operates an Edmonton group home, alleging both failed to take steps to prevent the death of 15-year-old Noah Gitsel.
This First Person column is the experience of Shannon Flaman, who lives in Red Deer, Alta. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ.
City staff are working on long-term plans to prevent toxic and smelly algae blooms at the Hamilton harbour – and short-term plans to mitigate blooms when they happen – but are cautioning residents that it's not the type of problem with a quick fix.
Another blockade of the Ambassador Bridge wouldn't play out like what happened in February 2022 — thanks to police being empowered to act faster and harder, according to a report that's going to Windsor city council next week.
On the first day of 2025, Alberta's default electricity rate is set to be replaced by the new "rate of last resort," in what the province says is a bid to protect consumers from a volatile electricity pricing landscape.
Canadians and Americans sit next to each other in the stands of a small Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., hockey arena to watch the Soo Thunderbirds face off against their cross-border rivals, Michigan's Soo Eagles.
A number of school bus routes in northwestern Ontario have been cancelled Wednesday after a dump of snow overnight in the region. A number of weather advisories also remain in effect in the region, including snow squall warnings in the Greenstone area.
Waterloo regional councillors have voted down a motion that would have asked the Waterloo Regional Police Service to cut $4 million from its proposed 2025 budget.
Residents of a neighbourhood in the heart of downtown Charlottetown hope to have a community garden in place on some vacant land by the time spring arrives.
Planting trees is a popular way to mitigate climate change, but in northern and Arctic regions, it may not be an effective solution.