P.E.I. Premier Dennis King is asking the federal government to reduce the tolls for the Confederation Bridge.

King says he wants to see the toll for cars dropped from $50.25 to just $20 by September. He says doing so would eliminate what he calls a “competitive disadvantage” for Islanders.

King says one of the reasons for the high cost of living on P.E.I. is that all goods coming to P.E.I. have to pay a toll, either on the bridge or the ferry.

The 12.9 km bridge is a federally owned asset, managed by Strait Crossing Bridge Ltd. The private company has the exclusive right to collect all tolls until 2032, and had planned on raising the toll for cars by $4.25 in 2023, however on December 19, federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announced tolls for the bridge would be frozen for the year.

King says lowering the tolls is a matter of fairness, as there are no tolls on other federally regulated bridges, including the Samuel De Champlain Bridge in Montreal, which was completed in 2019.