Marine Atlantic Officially Opens New North Sydney Terminal
Following months of design, planning and construction activities, Marine Atlantic's new $20 million, state-of-the-art ferry terminal in North Sydney was officially opened earlier today. The new building is modern, efficient, environmentally friendly, and offers many new amenities for customers.
The new terminal building is the final project of the $521 million funding commitment announced by the Government of Canada in Budget 2010. A new funding envelope of approximately $375 million was recently announced, continuing the momentum of previous investments and allowing Marine Atlantic to move forward with the purchase of the MV Blue Puttees and MV Highlanders .
"The Government of Canada is proud to support the renewal of Marine Atlantic's fleet and shorebased facilities such as the new North Sydney Terminal," said the Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Transport. "By investing in organizations such as Marine Atlantic, we are helping to maintain the connections between the communities and economies of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador."
"This is a great day for Marine Atlantic as we open our new terminal building, with the many benefits it will offer our customers, and prepare to move forward with our new funding investment," said Walter Pelley, a member of Marine Atlantic's Board of Directors. "These investments will continue to strengthen our service and the contribution we make to the Atlantic Canadian economy. I would like to extend our appreciation to the Government of Canada for their continued support that will help meet the needs of our customers for years to come."
Since the start of Marine Atlantic's renewal process in 2010, customer satisfaction rates have increased by almost 20 per cent and on-time performance has improved to 90 per cent. The new North Sydney terminal building will help further strengthen those numbers by providing a facility that will better serve the operational needs of Marine Atlantic and the travel needs of customers.
"We are very proud of our service and what we have accomplished over the past five years during our renewal process," said Paul Griffin, President and CEO of Marine Atlantic. "The upgrades we are making today reinforce the importance of our service which has operated between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia for the past 117 years. By working together with the local community, our employees and business partners, our momentum and service will continue to improve for our customers."
Griffin highlighted that the new terminal building was developed with environmental efficiency as a key consideration through every design feature, and application has been made to obtain LEED certification demonstrating that the building is a leader in environmental and energy efficient design. He also reinforced the working partnership with the North Sydney Business Improvement Development Association (BIDA) to maximize the benefits of the new building and location for Marine Atlantic's customers, the business community and the Corporation.
Marine Atlantic is a federal Crown Corporation that receives funding and reports to the Parliament through the Minister of Transport.
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Media Contact:
Darrell Mercer
Corporate Communications
709-772-0073 or 709-727-2405