War of words: CEO won't release info about Yarmouth ferry ticket sales

Nova Scotia has inked a 10-year agreement with Bay Ferries Ltd. that will see the company operate a high speed ferry between Yarmouth and Portland, Maine. Bay Ferries has a lease agreement for a vessel owned by the U.S. military's Sealift Command. (Bay Ferries)

A war of words is brewing between Nova Scotia’s official opposition leader and the chair and CEO of Bay Ferries Ltd.

On Tuesday, Progressive Conservative Leader Jamie Baillie released a letter to Mark MacDonald, calling for regular public reporting of things like cash-flow reports and passenger booking reports for the Yarmouth-to-Maine ferry service.

Bay Ferries has already said it has no plans to release information about ticket sales throughout the sailing season.

In the letter, Baillie asks Bay Ferries to “instate a monthly reporting mechanism similar to the Nova Star that allows government, media and the general public to examine, scrutinize and assess how public funds are being used.”

He writes that monthly reporting of ticket sales “would be in the best interests of all involved.”

The government has stated that its subsidies are based on passenger counts of 60,000 per year. Fewer passengers could result in a cash shortfall for Bay Ferries – and all cash shortfalls are paid by the Province of Nova Scotia, according to the agreement.

MacDonald replied to the letter, saying that Bay Ferries has insisted that such information remain confidential, despite the wishes of the government.

MacDonald writes that since the contract was announced in March, “our company – and the agreement we entered into – has been subject to incessant and widely reported criticism from you and others.”

He writes that the criticism has a negative impact on the market, and puts the company in a difficult position.

“We recognize the very legitimate public interest in all information surrounding this service. This public interest drives everything we do. But we also believe that to have any chance of gaining traction, the service must move back below the radar as it was during the nine seasons our company was able to operate it with no government subsidy of any kind (while investing $100 million in assets). No one is remotely predicting those days will return, but everyone wants the public cost to be as low as possible,” MacDonald states in the letter.

Baillie has written another letter in response, explaining that it is his job to hold the government accountable for the way it spends money.

In an interview Wednesday, Baillie said he doesn’t accept MacDonald’s argument that they need to keep the numbers private in order to remain competitive.

“Well I'm sorry, but when you take that much money you have to be able to report back to the people of Nova Scotia whether they're getting good value for it or not,” Baillie said. “Bay Ferries may be a private company but they have no risk on the line. Premier McNeil signed away all of that.”

Baillie says he will continue to push both the government and Bay Ferries to provide more information.

“Having been in business, I know how they think,” Baillie said. “And having been now in politics, I absolutely believe that what they’re missing is that when you take a big subsidy like that it is a matter of principal that you owe it to the public to be open and accountable.”

A spokesperson for Bay Ferries Ltd. tells CTV News that MacDonald will not be commenting on the subject.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Sarah Ritchie