Question Period Note: Status Update on the Replacement of the MV Holiday Island

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About

Reference number:
TC-2023-QP-00002
Date received:
Jan 26, 2023
Organization:
Transport Canada
Name of Minister:
Alghabra, Omar (Hon.)
Title of Minister:
Minister of Transport

Issue/Question:

Status Update on the Replacement of the MV Holiday Island - Transport Canada

Suggested Response:

  • In summer 2022, there was a fire onboard the MV Holiday Island. The vessel has been removed from service and is being disposed of in an environmentally responsible manner.
  • Transport Canada is working with the ferry operator, Northumberland Ferries, to identify options for an interim replacement for the MV Holiday Island beyond the 2023 season.
  • In the interim, the MV Saaremaa has been chartered from the Société des traversiers du Québec to replace the MV Holiday Island on the Wood Island, PEI - Caribou, NS, route for the 2023 peak and fall shoulder seasons.

If Pressed on the new ferry:

  • The new ferry replacing the MV Holiday Island is being designed and built at Chantier Davie but is not expected to enter service until 2028.
  • Pre-construction activities are progressing and preliminary design is expected to be completed in Spring 2023.

Background:

  • Through the Ferry Services Contribution Program, TC provides funding to private operators to support three inter-provincial ferry services in Eastern Canada, including service between: (i) Wood Islands, Prince Edward Island and Caribou, Nova Scotia; (ii) Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec and Souris, Prince Edward Island; and (iii) Saint John, New Brunswick and Digby, Nova Scotia.
  • The vessels and terminals used to provide the services are owned by TC and are leased to the operators for a nominal amount.
  • Budget 2019 announced that the Government of Canada would procure two new vessels from a Canadian shipyard to replace the MV Madeleine and the MV Holiday Island as both ferries were at the end of their useful lives.
  • On Friday, July 22, 2022, there was an engine fire on-board the MV Holiday Island. While no one was injured, the MV Holiday Island was damaged beyond repair and has been declared a total loss. The ferry operator chartered the MV Saaremaa for the remainder of the season.
  • On November 16, 2022, Public Services and Procurement Canada awarded a contract to R. J. MacIsaac Construction of Antigonish, NS to dispose of the MV Holiday Island in an environmentally conscious manner.

Additional Information:

Location: Central Nova, Nova Scotia / Cardigan, Prince Edward Island