N.S. premier says Ottawa must pay entire bill to protect land link from flooding risk

HALIFAX -

Nova Scotia's premier pulled no punches Thursday, saying Ottawa should pay the entire cost of protecting the important land corridor linking his province and New Brunswick from climate change-related flooding.

Tim Houston made the comment after being asked whether his government would apply to the federal disaster mitigation fund by the July 19 deadline.

Federal Infrastructure Minister Dominic LeBlanc has encouraged both provinces to apply for funding for up to half the $301-million potential cost to protect the Chignecto Isthmus.

"That (land) strip is a very significant national trade corridor," Houston said. "We understand Minister LeBlanc's position on that and the offer for the feds to pay 50 per cent, but quite frankly we think he's wrong. We think the feds should be paying for that."

The premier said the federal government has a constitutional obligation to fund the project -- similar to the obligation it had during the construction of the Confederation Bridge, which links Prince Edward Island to New Brunswick.

He said Ottawa is trying to avoid doing what it needs to do.

"The federal government is trying to entice the (Atlantic) region into helping them get away from their responsibility," he said. "We are not going to help them get away from their responsibility."

However, LeBlanc has pushed back against the idea -- put forward in April by New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs -- that Ottawa should bare the full cost of the project.

The federal minister said the Confederation Bridge is a special case because the Island had been promised a year-round transportation link to the mainland as a condition for entering Confederation.

A spokesman for LeBlanc issued a statement Thursday repeating the federal government's position and urging the provinces to apply for the federal disaster mitigation fund.

"The government of Canada is prepared to pay for 50 per cent of the cost of a major infrastructure project to protect the Chignecto Isthmus from storm surges and sea-level rise," Jean-Sebastien Comeau said. "There is only a month left to apply for funding under this program -- and the sooner we can get construction underway, the better."

The project aims to protect the Chignecto Isthmus -- on which lies sections of the Trans-Canada Highway, a CN rail line and communications infrastructure -- from potential damage by major storms and flooding until 2100.

An engineering study released last year estimated that raising the height of 35 kilometres of dikes would cost $200 million; building a new dike would cost $189 million; and raising the existing dikes and installing steel sheet pile walls in select locations would cost about $301 million.

The study cautioned that once an option is chosen, it would likely take five years for construction to begin, and then another 10 years to complete the project.

But Houston seemed unmoved when asked whether the isthmus risked being damaged by extreme weather while governments haggled over who will pay to protect it.

"We're not the ones risking it, the federal government is the one that's trying to get away from their responsibility," the premier said.

Experts have warned that the sea level at the mouth of the Bay of Fundy has been rising at a rate of about 2.4 millimetres a year over the past century.

Nova Scotia Liberal Leader Zach Churchill panned Houston's position, saying it was the province that has abdicated its responsibility to protect a transport corridor that is vital for bringing commodities such as food into the Atlantic region.

"Both provinces need to work together and co-fund this project," Churchill said. "They have to put some money on the table and make sure this gets done."

NDP Leader Claudia Chender accused Houston's government of picking a political fight with the federal government.

"They are dragging their feet when urgency is required," Chender said.

Meanwhile, Houston cast doubt on the future of the multi-billion dollar Atlantic Loop energy corridor. The proposed project envisions giving the Atlantic region more access to Labrador and Quebec hydroelectricity.

Houston said that while the loop would help Nova Scotia meet its climate obligations, the corridor isn't the "be all and end all."

"If it was a different time and a different proposal and a different partnership from the federal government, then the Atlantic Loop might look like an attractive piece to the overall solution," he said. "It's not looking like an attractive piece to the overall solution."

Natural Resources Minister Tory Rushton said the province is increasingly focused on several other options, including wind, tidal power and green hydrogen.

"There have been no further (loop funding) numbers shared with us from the federal level about what their investment is," Rushton said. "We're certainly looking at other options."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 15, 2023.