Halifax’s ferries are supposed to be the most reliable method of transit, never having to sit in rush hour traffic or deal with potholes. But in recent months, between scheduled and surprise maintenance, some ferries have been knocked out of service, slowing transit. Halifax Mayor Andy Fillmore wants to address the problem. “As we saw from January to March of this year, we lost 40,000 harbour crossings due to two ferries being out of the water for maintenance at the same time, that meant we had to go to a thirty-minute crossing, that was equal to the loss of 21 per cent of our ferry crossings,” says Fillmore. The current five vessel fleet is run by diesel and went into service between 2014 and 2018. The newest of those, each cost six million dollars. A recent staff report says at least 20 million dollars would be needed for midlife upgrades, that’s on top of another 23 million for terminal repairs, Fillmore will address it at council tomorrow, wanting to find out what a new ferry would cost. “This proposal will be to have one more ferry of the same while all this other work is going on about what the ferry system of the future looks like. We got a little glimpse into that with the Bedford ferry and knowing that is going to be an electric or hybrid electric format and we will see where all that goes, but right now when demand is spiking for ferry we need a way to make the current system, the current technology work,” says Fillmore. Dartmouth Councillor Tony Mancini supports the idea of the mayor’s motion, but he has some questions. “Is one more enough or do we need two more, what’s the intent of it, I haven’t spoken to the mayor about it, I look forward to having that conversation. How much does it cost, how long does it take, where is the money coming from, is it coming from a reserve. All these questions that I do have. So initially I’m supportive of adding another ferry but I would like to understand if there is a strategy behind it,” says Tony Mancini, HRM Councillor. Mayor Fillmore has his own questions as well around cost and options for a new ferry. “The motion that I am going to put on the floor tomorrow for debate does ask for that information. It’s going to be a full report on what the cost of a new ferry is, how much we are spending on annual maintenance now, how a new ferry would impact the reliability of the service so it really is a holistic view at how a sixth ferry can make things better,” says Fillmore. In 2025 the daily ferry boardings averaged 5,500 during weekdays, 4,900 on Saturday and 2,900 on Sunday’s. Mancini says he hears a lot from people wanting to use the ferries but not trusting them 100 per cent. “What I also hear is when we have major events in the city why isn’t it running every fifteen minutes? Why don’t we have it more frequently, why do we have to have interruptions of services and so we have addressed some of that. Why don’t we have tap and pay which we were supposed to have a long time ago, now they are telling us December. So I hear that from folks,” says Mancini. Mayor Fillmore says ferries are in an all-time high demand and in the last year, between 2024 to 2025, ferry ridership has increased by 3 per cent and during that same time bus ridership decreased by 3 per cent. “By adding the sixth ferry we can always have a backup to keep the 15-minute service in this period of high demand,” says Fillmore. Mayor Fillmore will bring forward his motion to council Tuesday. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
