Nova Scotia is set to cover $1.5 million in the cost of security upgrades on the CAT terminal in Portland, Maine — clearing the way for the return of the ferry service between Nova Scotia and Maine for this season.
The money will be spent on security upgrades required by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
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If the upgrades had not been funded, the U.S. border protection agency said it would end service at the facility as it no longer met federal services — effectively ending the ferry’s 2018 season before it even began.
Nova Scotia’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal (TIR) told Global News on Thursday that funding will be used to “purchase license plate readers and radiation portal monitors.”
The $1.5 million in funding can be seen as a success considering what was originally on the table.
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“Initially, they had been seeking more than $7 million in upgrades for this season,” Marla MacInnis, a spokesperson with the department said.
A request for comment from Bay Ferries Ltd., who operates the CAT ferry, was not returned by time of publication.