More than a century of crossings...

Under the terms of Prince Edward Island's entry into Confederation in 1873, the Government of Canada is obligated to provide continuous and efficient year-round transportation for people, goods and services between PEI and the mainland. This constitutional obligation has proven to be both costly and difficult for the Government to maintain. As a result, many people have long advocated replacing the ferry service with a permanent and more efficient fixed crossing. Over the years, various proposals have been considered for fixed crossings ranging from a tunnel in the late 1800's to a combined causeway, tunnel and bridge in the 1960's.

1750-1872

Given a fine summer day, a good-sized canoe, and a few strong paddlers, people made it across the Northumberland Strait. The problem was getting across in the winter. Mi'kmaqs were occasionally crossing the Strait in mid-winter, but it was the Colonial government's desire to have year-round mail service that led to the first such trips in more recent times. In February 1775, Governor Walter Patterson persuaded some Islanders to carry the mail across the ice and open water by canoe from Wood Islands at the southeastern end of P.E.I. to Pictou, Nova Scotia. Canoes were far from ideal in these circumstances, and over the years an optimized "ice boat" design evolved. For propulsion in open water, ice boats were equipped with oars and a small sail. For propulsion across the ice, the sail sometimes helped. But over the many rough places, the boat had to be hauled. There was also a fare per crossing for the passengers.

1873-1911

On May 20, 1873, Parliament petitioned the Queen to admit Prince Edward Island into the Dominion of Canada under conditions which included an "efficient steam service for the conveyance of mails and passengers to be established and maintained between the Island and the mainland of the Dominion, winter and summer, thus placing the Island in continuous communication with the Intercolonial Railway and the railway system of the Dominion." This became part of the Canadian constitution. Throughout this period, the service being provided was neither efficient nor continuous, so the Island government complained that the Dominion government was not living up to the terms of the union. Acknowledging that this was in part true, but at the same time not having a real solution, the Dominion government raised P.E.I.'s 1887 annual subsidy of $20, 000 by an additional $30, 000/year in 1901, and in 1912 by $100, 000/year more. While this was appreciated, it was not an adequate substitute for transportation that really worked.

1912-1984

Only in 1912, when the Dominion government under Robert Borden decided to build a railcar ferry to run between Carleton, P.E.I. (later renamed Borden) and Cape Tormentine, N.B ., was satisfactory winter transportation in sight. In 1917 the Prince Edward Island (first railcar ferry) began service between Borden and Cape Tormentine, and in its first year of operation made 506 round trips. The improvement was so dramatic that the ice boat service was permanently discontinued. In 1938, in response to the growing use of automobiles, the Prince Edward Island was equipped with an auto deck, which continued to be used as a ferry until 1969. During the 1970s and the 1980s there were improvements to the ferry service, and little talk about a fixed crossing. In 1982, Public Works Canada (PWC) reviewed a proposed bridge design and estimated its cost at $640 million dollars.

1985-1994

In 1985-86, Public Works Canada received three unsolicited proposals from the private sector. Omni Systems proposed a tunnel, Northumberland Bridge Builders proposed a bridge, and Nova Construction first proposed a causeway/tunnel/bridge; it then became Abegweit Crossing Ltd. and proposed a bridge.

A unique aspect of these proposals was that the project would be privately financed. In December of 1986 the government gave Public Works Canada the mandate to examine the technical, financial, environmental, social and economic dimensions of the proposed fixed-link concepts. To answer a variety of questions, PWC commissioned ten studies. The reports on these studies were delivered during the spring of 1987, and on May 12, PWC called for "Expressions of Interest".

Twelve organizations responded by the deadline of June 5, 1987. Seven developers qualified, and three finalists were identified. Then, on December 2, 1992 in an economic statement to Parliament, Minister of Finance Don Mazankowski announced publicly that Strait Crossing had been selected for the project.

On P.E.I., this decision to proceed brought the simmering debate over a fixed crossing to a fast boil. Many Islanders applauded the decision; many others were aghast. Premier Joseph Ghiz announced that Islanders would be able to express their views on the fixed-crossing issue in a plebiscite to be held January 18.

The results were - YES, 59.4% ; NO, 40.6%. In a public statement, Premier Ghiz said, "I think a majority of Islanders have expressed a desire to have a fixed link connecting P.E.I. and the mainland. It is a clear mandate to negotiate with the federal government while respecting the concerns of the many Islanders who voted against it."