June 1, 2017
Confusion on Federal Bridge Toll Policy
The federal government is not being straightforward with Prince Edward Islanders on why they are not charging tolls on the new Champlain Bridge but continue to charge tolls on Confederation Bridge when they keep repeating, as the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities Amarjeet Sohi stated in the Senate:
“(R)elated to the new toll-free Champlain Bridge in Montreal, the bridge that we are building is a replacement. It is not a new bridge. The bridge that already exists needs to be replaced. The reason we are committed to not having a toll on the new Champlain Bridge is that the current one does not have a toll.”
In reality, the current Champlain Bridge charged a toll for most of its existence. The toll was only abolished on May 4, 1990.
The idea that there can’t be a toll on the new Champlain Bridge because it is a “replacement” also applies to Confederation Bridge, replacing as it did a ferry service, which in turn replaced the ice boats that came before it. The Government of Canada made a constitutional promise to Prince Edward Island as part of its entry into Canada. When Prince Edward Island joined Confederation in 1873, the Terms of Union required that the Government of Canada be responsible for assuming and defraying the costs of “continuous communication”.
Prince Edward Islanders received welcome news at a town hall meeting on January 13th when in response to a question asked by Ms. Pasha Bowser, a student from Summerside, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that Confederation Bridge "was an expensive bridge to build and it's an expensive bridge to cross.” This acknowledgement by Prime Minister Trudeau is the first recognition by the Government of Canada of the high cost Islanders pay for transportation.
Another equally welcome statement made by the Prime Minister about Confederation Bridge during the town hall was, “I appreciate the challenges you’re facing, and certainly I will make sure that I pass along my concerns to, your concerns, to our Islander MPs, and we will look at what can be done to make sure that people are able to travel freely, travel efficiently, and openly across this country at modest costs.”
Islanders look forward to the kind of collaboration and action that can be achieved from such discussions, and are eager to see what type of arrangement could be provided to alleviate the cost. The toll on Confederation Bridge is $46.50, making it the most expensive toll bridge in Canada, and Islanders wait to hear the results of the Prime Minister’s meetings with Island MPs so we can travel, in the Prime Minister’s own words, “at modest costs”.
For further information:
Senator Percy Downe: 613-943-8107
Or toll free at 1-800-267-7362
www.sen.parl.gc.ca/pdowne
PRIME MINISTER’S CROSS-COUNTRY TOUR:
TOWN HALL IN PETERBOROUGH, ONTARIO
QUESTION ABOUT P.E.I’S CONFEDERATION BRIDGE
JANUARY 13, 2017
[EXCERPT]
QUESTION: Hello. So I am actually a student here at Trent. I’m 22 years old and graduating hopefully next year. I come from Prince Edward Island, and this has been brought to your attention recently in the House of Commons -- just on the extreme fees to leave Prince Edward Island. I know most people here might not have been there. It costs us either $72 to go to Nova Scotia and only costs to leave Prince Edward Island, or it costs us almost $50 to leave on the bridge to New Brunswick. My family lives mostly in New Brunswick, and when my grandfather fell ill, my dad was going over two to three times a week. There’s no discount or anything on the bridge for people who go a lot. So it puts an extra burden on my family. Most people in Prince Edward Island also are working class and work in farming industries.
So I guess my question is: is there anything that the federal government can do -- especially since the bridge that was the most expensive in Montreal that just went through -- to help alleviate the cost for Islanders?
RT. HON. JUSTIN TRUDEAU: You made a reference to the Montreal Champlain Bridge. The Confederation Bridge in Prince Edward Island has been an essential… essential link both for the Islanders’ economy and for tourists, and for locals. And you’re right, it is an expensive bridge. It was an expensive bridge to build and it’s an expensive bridge to cross.
The Champlain Bridge is a replacement bridge. There’s an existing bridge that doesn’t have a toll on it, and it is a federal responsibility because it’s over the St. Lawrence Seaway. If Montreal had its way it would build a bridge exactly 10 metres across… high from the water, and every ship coming to the Great Lakes would have to stop and unload in Montreal, and it’d be great for Montreal. I’m kidding of course, but that’s why the federal government has the responsibility for making sure that that bridge is high enough that of course the St. Lawrence Seaway is fully active and successful.
So the comparison doesn’t quite work on this, but I absolutely understand your preoccupation with, you know, being able to be there for sick family members, being able to support your family. And I appreciate the challenges you’re facing, and certainly I will make sure that I pass along my concerns to -- your concerns -- to our Islander MPs, and we will look at what can be done to make sure that people are able to travel freely, travel efficiently, and openly across this country at modest costs.
Thank you. |
