Campobello Ferry Extended Another Month

The seasonal ferry service to and from Campobello Island has been extended for another month.

Provincial officials announced Thursday that the ferry service will now continue until at least April 5.

“I’m very pleased,” said Saint Croix MLA Kathy Bockus, whose riding includes Campobello Island. “I’d feel even better if the announcement was for a full-time ferry, but we’re still working on that.”

The ferry, which connects Campobello Island to Deer Island, typically operates between June and September each year.

But the provincial government has extended the service several times over the past few months amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

When the ferry is not in operation, Campobello Island residents are forced to travel through Maine to get to mainland New Brunswick.

“They [the province] want to give Campobello Island residents an alternate means of going to and from the island as opposed to driving through the state of Maine, where cases have been quite alarmingly on the rise,” said Bockus.

East Coast Ferries, the private company which operates the ferry, said the service will run four days a week.

But Bockus said the schedule is weather-dependent and there may be some weeks where the ferry operates fewer than four days.

“They’re getting sort of a hit-and-miss, but it’s better than no ferry at all,” she said.

In the meantime, Bockus said she is continuing her push for a year-round ferry for the island.

“It’s a boon not only to them [the residents] to make their lives easier coming and going but also to the tourism industry for the province as a whole.”