MR. SPEAKER: Further petitions.

The hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.

MR. BUTLER: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I stand today with another petition with regard to the Long Island causeway, a petition that has been brought forward by the residents not only of Long Island but from various towns throughout that immediate area. Mr. Speaker, it is on behalf of the residents, as well as the Long Island Causeway Transportation Committee.

As I stated before, those individuals on that particular Island had a service by ferry for twenty-six years, and in March 2009 that service was shared with Little Bay Islands. They have no problems with the residents of Little Bay Islands having their right to a ferry service as well, but what they are saying is that previously when they had the regular ferry service they would get a crossing, I think it was every hour, and this was an agreement they came to in I think it was 1983, in lieu of a causeway.

Now we know that this particular ferry service that they agreed to back twenty-six years ago is not in operation any longer, and they explained to us that one of the key components to it is the medical assistance. Under the previous transportation system they would have a half-hour wait for an ambulance, and now, with the shared service, it could be as high as three to four hours.

Another issue that they have is they are asking that government at least restore the ferry service back to what it was and to instruct officials to determine the cost of a causeway.

We have also been informed by residents that there are over 100 individuals who derive a living from the sea. Millions of dollars from the fishing industry enter the economy each and every year. What they are saying, I think the fish collectors make approximately 140 trips to the Island and many days they cannot connect with the ferry service that is there now because the fishers are late coming in, in the evenings, probably as late as 7:00 p.m., 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., and the last ferry for them is around 9:00 p.m. So, it is a major problem they have with regard to the fishing activity and getting their product to market.

Mr. Speaker, with those few words I just want to say that we hope that government, once they meet with the residents and the committee from Long Island, will take into consideration their concerns and look at the possibility of a fixed-link between Long Island and Pilley’s Island.