The Confederation Bridge connects New Brunswick to Prince Edward Island.Can Stock Photo A Prince Edward Island senator is attempting to drum up support for no-charge use of the Confederation Bridge, but it doesnt appear as though he will have any luck getting the next prime minister on board.Senator Percy Downe, a long-time back-room Liberal who has served as a senator since 2003, is the Islands major proponent of reducing or eliminating the $47.75 bridge toll.Charged only when departing Prince Edward Island, the toll has steadily increased from $35.00 when the Confederation Bridge opened in 1997.Yet when asked by reporters during the election campaign whether Islanders could expect to receive a break in their transportation costs, two primary federal party leaders were decidedly non-committal.I understand that the toll is an impact on families here, Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer said during a campaign stop in Canoe Cove, P.E.I. We are hearing that feedback and we will have more to say on affordability measures throughout the rest of this campaign.Scheers response came a few days after Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau visited P.E.I. Trudeau took no questions while on the Island, but told reporters earlier that day The Samuel de Champlain Bridge was a replacement bridge. The Confederation Bridge was a new bridge that was built with the tolls as part of the financing.The prime ministers mention of Montreals Samuel de Champlain bridge brings up one of Senator Downes two primary arguments. Champlain Bridge in Montreal, also owned by the government of Canada, Downe wrote in The Financial Post in February 2019, is nearing completion with not a toll booth in sight, because during the 2015 federal election campaign, Justin Trudeau committed to cancelling its toll.The senators other argument: Justin Trudeaus statement in January 2017 that the government 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.Of course, there are bridges with and without tolls all across the country. This is nothing new. Moreover, beyond the huge cost the government would incur to eliminate or slash the Confederation Bridges fare, theres another issue: the federal government doesnt operate the Confederation Bridge.Strait Crossing holds a 35-year lease through 2032, which involves maintaining the 13-kilometre span as well as collecting all tolls. Meanwhile, Islanders at the eastern end of P.E.I. who rely on both the $79.00 ferry between Wood Islands and Caribou, Nova Scotia and the tourists that boat delivers are unlikely to stand for free passage at the other end of P.E.I.Incidentally, over its 22 years of operation, the Confederation Bridge toll hasnt risen as fast as the rate of inflation. According to the Bank of Canadas inflation calculator, $35.00 in 1997 equals $52.85 in 2019, meaning the crossing is actually more affordable now than it was when the crossings construction was
Origin: Trudeau, Scheer offer no hope of free passage to, from P.E.I. via Confederation Bridge