The Nova Star ferry between Portland, Maine, and Yarmouth started its 2015 season this week thanks to tens of millions in provincial government funding. But what is the economic return for Nova Scotia taxpayers?

No Nova Scotians are employed as crew.

Eleanor Kure, a small businesswoman, hopes the ferry's second season will be good for her business.

This is the first season the Halifax artist's custom-painted pillows are being sold in the ferry's gift shop. She says it's a relationship she appreciates and hopes will last .

"It's my lifeblood. Every customer is really important and everybody keeps me ticking," says Kure.

She was approached by a Nova Star representative at a Toronto trade show who liked her work and placed an order — one of 15 Nova Scotia companies whose work will be sold on the ship.

In addition, Nova Star president Mark Amundsen says in 2014, the ferry worked with "over 80 Nova Scotia suppliers and this year that number is expected to grow."

Progressive Conservative MLA Tim Houston says the process to get Nova Star work is unclear.



"Given that the province is putting up, pretty much all the money for this thing — we're up to almost $40 million invested — it should be very easy for our small, medium, big — for all our businesses — to transact with that company. It's not very easy. It should be," says Houston.

The government contract with Nova Star does not require the company to use a specific number of Nova Scotia companies or people for its operation, saying only:

"The company shall use reasonable commercial efforts to … employ Nova Scotia residents and purchase products and services from Nova Scotia businesses."

Amundsen points out the company directly employs or contracts 40 of the 55 jobs created by the ferry in Yarmouth and is trying to "maximize the benefits to Nova Scotia whenever feasible."

Houston says the province should be tracking the ferry's benefit to taxpayers

"If you're spending government money, you should have a plan in place to find out what direct benefits you're going to get back as a province," he says.

Amundsen says his company will soon start tracking that, starting in July. He says the Nova Star will begin reporting on the benefits to Nova Scotians on a monthly basis.