P.E.I. premier says Carney team made a verbal commitment to end bridge and ferry tolls

P.E.I. Premier Rob Lantz says he has a verbal commitment from the federal government that Prince Edward Islanders will be receiving “positive news” on Confederation Bridge tolls and Northumberland Ferries rates “in the coming days.”

Lantz’s office issued a statement just before 8:30 p.m. AT on Friday night, after he and Canada’s other premiers met with Prime Minister Mark Carney in Ottawa. 

“Thank you to the federal government for hearing my concerns — and the concerns of all Islanders — and committing to ending these barriers for Islanders and our economy,” Lantz was quoted as saying in his news release. 

The P.E.I. government has been arguing for some time that charging Island citizens and businesses to cross to the mainland by bridge or car-passenger ferry is unfair, especially since the Confederation Bridge that joins P.E.I. and New Brunswick is considered a continuation of the TransCanada Highway. 

The seasonal car-passenger ferries operated by Northumberland Ferries connect eastern P.E.I. with the northern part of mainland Nova Scotia. 

The round-trip toll for a standard two-axle vehicle to cross the Confederation Bridge is $50.25. For the ferry service, the round-trip fare is $86 for passenger vehicles up to 20 feet in length and 7 feet in height. 

“After a productive day of meetings with Prime Minister Mark Carney, Minister Chrystia Freeland and Minister Dominic Leblanc, I have a verbal commitment that Islanders will be receiving positive news on the Confederation Bridge and Wood Islands ferry tolls in the coming days,” Lantz’s news release said. 

The gathering between Carney and the provincial and territorial leaders ran about 40 minutes longer than expected — and comes two days before a federal election is likely to be called.

Following the meeting, Carney said he and Canada’s premiers have agreed to develop a national trade strategy that would free up trade across provincial and territorial borders by Canada Day.

The meeting came just two days before Carney is expected to plunge the country into a snap spring election campaign.

Shortly after Lantz’s office issued its statement, Liberal MP for Malpeque Heath MacDonald posted about the development on X, formerly Twitter. 

“Today is a great day for Islanders,” MacDonald’s post said. “After several meetings and consultations with newly appointed Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland and Prime Minister Carney, our gov’t will be announcing positive changes to the Confederation Bridge — details to come soon.”

Charlottetown MP Sean Casey also posted on social media, saying: “The prime minister has committed to reducing the toll on the Confederation Bridge — a direct result of the P.E.I. MPs’ recent meeting with Minister Chrystia Freeland to advocate for fairer costs for our province. We’re proud to deliver real progress for Islanders.”

Campaign based on fairness 

Back in October, the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses joined the lobby by P.E.I. politicians and businesses by launching an awareness campaign dubbed “Free the Bridge.”

It called on federal officials and 2025 federal election candidates to “seriously consider” removing the round-trip toll that’s collected as vehicles leave the Island (no toll is collected from vehicles driving to the Island from New Brunswick). 

The business lobby group criticized the “inequity of continued tolls” on the Confederation Bridge compared to other major federal projects, such as the toll-free Samuel de Champlain Bridge in Montreal and the Quebec Bridge between Sainte-Foy and Lévis in the Quebec City area.

Joe Sawler, owner of JustJoes Automotive in Stratford, P.E.I., said at the time that the bridge toll was tough on small businesses like his.

“It adds costs to all of our goods,” Sawler said. “Whether it’s tires or oils or pens or air fresheners — it all gets worked into it.”