By INGRID DEON
DIGBY &emdash; Three levels of government are working to save the ferry service between Digby and Saint John, which Bay Ferries Ltd. plans to end Oct. 31.
Digby Mayor Frank Mackintosh said Saturday he has scheduled an emergency meeting for Tuesday with three local Liberal politicians: West Nova MP Robert Thibault, Digby-Annapolis MLA Junior Theriault and Annapolis MLA Stephen McNeil.
Mr. Mackintosh said he's hopeful the ferry won't be leaving for good.
"We're hoping that the federal (government) will come through," he said.
Federal cabinet minister Peter MacKay said his government realizes the importance of the ferry service to the economy of southwestern Nova Scotia.
"We've received a number of calls about the ferry service, as you would expect," the Tory MP for Central Nova said during a break from Canada Day celebrations in Antigonish County.
"We're in consultation right now. . . . I'm not going to pre-empt those discussions until we look at all of the factors."
Both Mr. MacKay and Mr. Mackintosh also plan to meet with Premier Rodney MacDonald this week.
Mr. Thibault sent a letter to federal Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon on Friday asking him to "take any action necessary" to keep the ferry operating.
"This ferry provides a vital link between rural Nova Scotia and New Brunswick and it is imperative that this service continues," Mr. Thibault said in the letter.
"Our economy depends on the ferry for tourism, fisheries, students use it to travel to and from university, and local industry uses the ferry for transportation and business. Put simply, the economy of western Nova Scotia depends on this ferry."
Bay Ferries has operated the Digby-Saint John run since 1997 when Ottawa privatized Bay of Fundy ferry services. Traffic on the Princess of Acadia peaked at 190,000 passengers in 1998 but has since dropped by more than 25 per cent.
About 100 Bay Ferries employees and another 30 people who work for subcontractors will lose their jobs if the service shuts down.
The Ocean Hillside Bed and Breakfast is the first overnight accommodation tourists see when they drive off the ferry in Digby. It's less than one kilometre from the terminal.
Maria Cabana, owner of the bed and breakfast, said the ferry closure would hurt her business.
"Of course, we will suffer if the ferry doesn't run," she said Friday.
Glenn Wadman, operations manager of DB Kenney Fisheries Ltd. in Westport, Digby County, said if the ferry stops, it'll be another nail in his business's coffin.
"It's bad news, bad news, bad news, and more bad news," he said.
The company ships live lobster and relies on the ferry to get the lobster to its destination quickly. With no ferry, Mr. Wadman said, it'll be more expensive in fuel and time to get to the Boston market.
"And with a longer trip, you have a higher potential for mortality in the lobsters," he said.
Sheryl Stanton, curator of the Admiral Digby Museum on Water Street, said she relies heavily on tourists who are either going to or coming off the ferry.
"A lot of tourists come in while they're waiting for the boat . . . to kill time," she said.
She said she was planning to put up a sign near the ferry terminal to advertise the museum, but now she's reconsidering.
Ms. Stanton said the loss of the ferry will be felt by all the town's businesses.
"It'll definitely affect all of the downtown merchants," she said.
With Steve Bruce, staff reporter