Nautical autonomy

Radio-Canada reports on the construction of the handsome new ship (with an awful name) which will replace the old Nordik Express on the Quebec North Shore maritime route:

La construction du nouveau navire pour la desserte maritime de la Moyenne et de la Basse-Côte-Nord va bon train en Croatie. Le Bella Desgagnés, le joyau du Groupe Desgagnés, sera mis à l'eau en fin de semaine en présence de quelques élus de la Côte-Nord. Le navire, qui sera deux fois plus gros, remplacera le Nordik Express.

[The construction of a new ship for the marine service on the middle and lower North Shore is proceeding in Croatia. The Bella Desgagnés, the jewel of the Group Desgagnés fleet, will be launched in the presence of a number of elected officials from the North Shore. The ship will replace the Nordik Express and be twice as large.]

The $80-million price tag, and the ship's expected entry into service in April 2011, give clues as to how quickly the Quebec government expects to push the 138 through from Natashquan to Old Fort. (Hint: not very quickly at all.)

And somehow, Groupe Desgagnés is able to build this ship without the federal government coughing up money.

Commenter cagu66 also floats an interesting idea:

un bateau, ne sera pas vide, les newfies vont faire venir leur marchandise subventionné en transport par québec à Balnc sablon et après vont tranquillement traversé leur stopck dans leur ile, un bon moyen de faire payer leur affaire par le quebec, petite revanche sur churchill.

[A boat won't be empty, the Newfies will have their merchandise subsidized by transporting it from Quebec to Blanc Sablon, then their material will quietly be transferred to their island, a good way to have Quebec pay for their business, a little bit of revenge for the Churchill.]