New ferry will allow Canadians to drive to French territory off Newfoundland

By The Canadian Press

If all goes well, Canadians will soon be able to drive to a little-known corner of France.

The French islands of St-Pierre-Miquelon just off the south coast of Newfoundland — North America’s last vestige of colonial New France — have long attracted adventurous travellers seeking an unusual European experience.

But the ferry that links Fortune, N.L., with the windswept archipelago 42 kilometres away only carries walk-on passengers in the spring and summer months.

Later this year, however, the tiny French territory — home to about 6,000 French nationals — plans to start using two new ferries that can carry up to 15 cars year-round.

The service was supposed to start May 15, but the port authority in Fortune hasn’t been able to scrape together enough money to upgrade its wharf.

Negotiations are ongoing, but the mayor of Fortune, Charles Penwell, says a temporary solution is in the works, though he isn’t sure when the wharf will be ready.

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