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Canada’s Ferries Call on Feds to Invest in Crucial Infrastructure

April 6, 2015 – Industry Minister James Moore told CTV’s Question Period, yesterday, that Canadians will soon be seeing “very large-scale [infrastructure] announcements in every part of the country.”  Moore went on to say that these investments will benefit Canadians and increase productivity.

Responsible for moving more than 55 million people, 19 million vehicles, and millions of tonnes of goods annually, Canada’s ferries are a pivotal component of our infrastructure system.  Nothing would benefit productivity and Canadians more than further investments in ferry infrastructure.

Ferry services are essential to many Canadians, including:

  • Remote Communities. For some isolated regions, ferries are the only means for transporting goods and people and accessing emergency medical services.
  • Public Transit. Many ferries in Canada are a component of public transit systems in municipalities, bringing people to work and students to school daily.
  • Job Creation. Ferry operators employ more than 9,000 people across the country.  They plan to invest more than $1 billion to renew/upgrade their fleets over the next 5 years, creating even more jobs.

The government’s New Building Canada Plan largely ignores the ferry sector.

The Canadian Ferry Association is calling on the government to make investments in the ferry sector and amend the criteria of the New Building Canada Plan to allow projects that combine the transportation of goods and passengers to be eligible for funding.

About CFA

The Canadian Ferry Association is the national voice of ferries in Canada.  Our members operate with the highest professional and operational standards and promote the safe operation of ferry services in Canada.

Visit www.cfoa.ca for more information.  Follow us on Twitter @cdnferry.

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For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact:

Kristin Baldwin, Director of Communications

613-686-3838

kbaldwin@cfoa.ca

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