CHCO-TV NewsBreak26 with Vicki Hogarth and Nathalie Sturgeon: March 18, 2025

By Vicki Hogarth and Nathalie Sturgeon

Campobello Islanders push for tariff exemption and link to the mainland amid trade war

Campobello Island residents are facing yet another challenge, this time in the form of a 25 percent tariff on groceries and essential goods purchased in the United States. Without a year-round ferry, the small island community without its own gas station relies on a bridge to Maine for cross-border shopping in nearby Lubec for daily necessities from fuel to groceries. The impact of the trade war, which was initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump and saw Canada implement retaliatory tariffs, is being felt deeply on Campobello-—especially among seniors living on fixed incomes.

Mayor Harvey Matthews has been advocating for a tariff exemption for islanders.

“My whole thing has been since we've started this is that we've got a lot of seniors and a lot of seniors live day to day. They can't afford another 25%. Right," said Matthews. "So we've asked for this tariff to be like to be exempt from it, so to speak, if you live on the island, to try to help with that. So we haven't heard anything back obviously,"

Premier Susan Holt acknowledged that no New Brunswick community feels the tariffs' impact more than Campobello.

New Brunswick Minister of Local Government Aaron Kennedy visited the island on Friday to hear residents’ concerns. While CHCO has been in contact with the federal Department of Finance, as of March 18, the department says no exemptions have gone into effect.

For Campobello resident Kathleen Mitchell, the issue goes beyond tariffs. She believes the long history of border challenges-—from 9/11 to the pandemic to the trade war—highlight the urgent need for a year-round ferry link to the mainland. Currently, a private company operates a ferry at the height of the tourism season, from June to September, but for nine months of the year, the bridge to the United States is the only link to the mainland.

“We can't just assume that we can leave the island. We are completely and totally at the mercy of a foreign government,” Mitchell told CHCO-TV. “You can't come and go from Campobello—whether you're a person or product—without traveling through the U.S. And so any time there's tightening of the border, for whatever reason, it impacts the whole country. But that's magnified here because we are without any other way.”

Despite economic struggles, the close relationship between Campobello and Lubec remains strong. On Sunday, Campobello’s volunteer fire department assisted with a structure fire in Lubec—another reminder of their mutual reliance.

Despite the economic strain, Campobello and Lubec continue to support one another. On Sunday, Campobello’s volunteer fire department responded to a call for assistance with a structure fire in Lubec, a reminder of the longstanding relationship between the two communities.

“We need each other,” Matthews emphasized. “We’re a small department, they’re a small department. It could have been bad without help. We can never come to a time where we don’t have that bridge. We depend on each other, and we always will.”

Matthews also dismissed suggestions that cutting ties with the U.S. is a viable solution. 

"They're a small department. We need each other," said Matthews. "So we could never come to a time that we didn't that bridge because we need their help and they need our help at time. I mean, it could have been bad if they wouldn't have help. I mean, it's close proximity to the houses, and it was a big one."

Mitchell agrees but says islanders need a reliable alternative.

“As much as we need a little extra consideration, we also need to realize that we're not American. We are Canadian,” she said. “For a Canadian community to have access to its own country is not unprecedented. It’s something everybody else takes for granted. We don’t have it.”

While Matthews remains uncertain about whether a ferry would immediately resolve the grocery crisis, he acknowledges its long-term importance. “I wasn’t outspoken about the ferry before,” he admitted. “But after this, who knows what’s next? There might come a time when we’re told we can’t go through the U.S. at all.”

As islanders wait for answers, the concern grows that their unique geographical challenges will continue to leave them vulnerable to external forces. For now, they are calling on both levels of government to act before the situation worsens.

Charlotte County seniors have a new resource for tech support

The Charlotte County Seniors Resource Centre is hoping to restart its tech support program this spring. 

Emma Keech said there was a gap in the resources available for seniors struggling with technology.

We have been offering individual lessons as well as group lessons, which have been fully utilized," said Keech from the Charlotte County Seniors Resource Centre. "But we wanted to empower seniors to use technology as well as try to close the digital divide." 

Keech says the digital world never stops growing. 

"We’re just feeling that if we can help guide them and navigate that system for them or with them, it really lets them take control of their life and give them the choices to navigate the systems if they choose to," said Keech.

The organization has partnered up with New Brunswick Public Libraries. 

"I started off doing class sessions on how to search Google, how to use your iPad,” said Keith MacKinnon, regional resource librarian for the Fundy Library. “There were so many different questions that came out of that that were beyond the scope of the class that we decided we would do one-on-one tutorials.

Since then, the sessions have filled up. 

MacKinnon added it is important to improve digital literacy in era when scams against seniors are increasing. 

"I think it’s just a matter of raising their awareness that there are so many scams out there," he said. "They’re getting more and more clever, and it’s easier to be fooled by them."

Sessions are expected to resume in late March or early April.