Contract awarded for dredged-sediment basin at Wood Islands ferry terminal

Transport Canada has awarded Quebec-based Sani-Sable a contract to build a land-based holding basin for dredged sediment west of the Wood Islands ferry terminal in Prince Edward Island. The department announced the award on October 23; its request for proposals had been issued on August 19, and the contract followed a competitive evaluation in October. The release states a contract value of $7.3 million but does not explicitly identify the dollar currency.

The basin is intended to hold and filter sediment from routine maintenance dredging needed to keep ferry access safe. Material accumulates in the channels used by vessels and must be removed periodically. Transport Canada says the facility is part of a longer-term dredging strategy that responds to local fishers’ and coastal residents’ concerns about disposing of sediment at sea. The project therefore addresses both the continuity of marine transport and a local debate about how dredged material should be managed.

Transport Canada says the planned basin will measure approximately 150 metres by 280 metres and have capacity close to 125,000 cubic metres. It will sit on federal property west of the terminal. These are design dimensions and capacity, not a measurement of an existing basin or a completed construction project. The release’s approximate wording also means the figures should be understood as planning values rather than final surveyed dimensions.

Construction is expected to begin in November 2026 and finish before ferry service resumes in spring 2027. Work is planned mainly for the off-season, and Transport Canada does not expect it to interrupt service. These are the department’s forward-looking schedule and expectation; the announcement does not say construction has begun or establish that ferry operations will certainly be unaffected.

Wood Islands serves a seasonal ferry link between Prince Edward Island and Caribou, Nova Scotia. Passenger and vehicle counts cited by Transport Canada do not describe this terminal alone; they cover the network of three federally supported ferry services in Atlantic Canada and eastern Quebec. Across fiscal years 2022-23 through 2025-26, that network carried annual averages of approximately 574,000 passengers, 216,000 passenger vehicles and 19,500 commercial vehicles. Those figures are not Wood Islands-specific demand measures.

The department also says the three services contribute about $265 million to the Canadian economy each year, without separately specifying the currency of that amount. The program supports mobility among coastal communities and regional economies across the network. The broader traffic figures show the role of ferry infrastructure in regional connections, but they do not mean the Wood Islands basin alone generates that economic contribution.

This contract is a purchase of land-based sediment-management infrastructure for a ferry site, not a new marine terminal or an increase in sailing frequency. If completed as designed, the practical result will be a dedicated place to hold and filter sediment while maintenance dredging continues to support safe access. The release reports no construction progress, filtration performance or measured reduction in disposal at sea; it documents the procurement and contract-award stage.