P.E.I. potatoes are on the move, and it’s costing farmers a whole lot less to ship them off the Island.
The federal government has slashed Confederation Bridge tolls and ferry fares, delivering a windfall for potato growers whose trucks cross the span each year.
“It was quite refreshing to hear something going down, because when was the last time you heard that? Everything is going up,” said Ray Keenan, co-owner of Rollo Bay Holdings, in Souris, P.E.I.
Keenan says it used to cost about $85 for each tractor-trailer to leave the Island. As of Friday, Canada implemented a $20 flat rate for all vehicles, shrinking what some call a “transport tax.”
“Any time you get a 75 per cent reduction in the cost of something, it does help the bottom line,” Keenan said.
The Island is one of Canada’s largest potato-producing province, with the industry contributing more than $1.3 billion annually to the local economy.
According to the P.E.I. Potato Board, 94 per cent of the Island’s potatoes leave by bridge or ferry. The new rates could save the industry $2 million in trucking bills alone.
Farmers won’t just save on shipments leaving P.E.I., but also on equipment and supplies coming in. Tractors, machine parts and crop production products all must cross the bridge – now at a lower price.
Carney announced the changes last week during a visit to Albany, P.E.I., near the bridge itself.
“We’re doing that to bring Atlantic Canada closer together, bring Canadians closer together,” Carney said.
The long-anticipated changes are in line with campaign commitments Carney made earlier this year to make transportation more affordable across Atlantic Canada in the face of a trade war with the U.S.
P.E.I. Potato Board chairman Donald Stavert says the change lightens the load for growers.
“The best part about this is some of the trucking companies would avoid coming to P.E.I. because of the tolls. We’re hoping that they will be able to come this way now,” Stavert said.
He adds that tariffs are still a big concern, and the industry faces other challenges.
But on the Keenan family farm, fields are flowering. Fresh potatoes, pulled from red soil, will soon travel far - for less.
