Three Rivers council throws support behind water taxi service to connect communities

Ryan McKellop · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 16, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: June 16

A connection from the Montague Waterfront Development Corporation to found a seasonal h2o taxi work to link Montague, Georgetown, Brudenell and Cardigan won support from the Town of Three Rivers assembly connected Tuesday night.

Now comes the hard part: Applying for backing to wage for up to 2 12-seater pontoon boats powered by electrical outboard motors, perchance supported by a star sheet connected the roof.

Broeghan Carroll, the improvement corporation's wide manager, created the concern program for the service, to beryllium offered from the mediate of June until sometime successful September.  

"This is simply a large mode to let… the wide nationalist entree the waters successful an easier fashion," helium told CBC News. "I deliberation it's a large mode to link the areas.

"We are named Three Rivers, right?"

Montague, Georgetown, Brudenell and Cardigan each person marinas oregon docking areas connected saltwater rivers emptying into the Northumberland Strait, and are the biggest colonisation centres successful the amalgamated municipality successful eastbound P.E.I. 

"Funding is evidently the biggest issue," Carroll acknowledged, saying the archetypal iteration of the concern program a fewer years agone was much ambitious, with a larger vessel powered by hydrogen carrying a overmuch bigger pricetag.

"The archetypal task I judge was decidedly implicit a million — might person been a mates of million. This 1 we were trying to support it lower," helium said. The last fund for the 12-passenger option was astir $700,000, helium said, "so I deliberation that's a much realistic option."

Getting council's enactment was the archetypal measurement toward applying for backing for the project, with the corp eyeing a fig of authorities initiatives meant to promote greenish infrastructure.   

Commute times arsenic abbreviated arsenic 20 minutes?

Carroll said with 2 pontoon vessels successful operation, trips betwixt destinations for a outgo of betwixt $10 and $20 a idiosyncratic could beryllium arsenic abbreviated arsenic 20 minutes, but that could alteration depending connected however agelong it takes to load and unload. 

The people marketplace would beryllium section commuters, tourists, lawsuit organizers, and waterfront businesses.

"Part of the project... was to let a monthly walk for locals," helium said. "It's really astir conscionable arsenic quick, if not quicker even, to get betwixt the areas via water."

If the improvement corp is palmy astatine getting grants, sponsorships and donations to money the h2o taxi plan, Carroll said the program is to person the work moving by adjacent year. 

"There's been a fig of radical that look interested, but that conscionable depends connected what percent we get funded, and benignant of however overmuch each donor would person to fundamentally enactment in," helium said.

"We spoke a batch astir sponsorships. I deliberation a batch of tiny businesses would enactment in, like, a tiny amount, and those tiny amounts whitethorn adhd up due to the fact that it would beryllium a bully mode for them to link different radical to their businesses."

Carroll said the project has generated a batch of buzz successful the town. 

"Even astatine the assembly gathering [Tuesday] night, a batch of the councillors were truly excited astir the anticipation of it," helium said. 

"I deliberation it's evidently needed, not lone conscionable connecting, but besides allowing radical to benignant of see the quality of the rivers."