N.S. to build berm to protect Chignecto Isthmus, still wants Ottawa to pay for it

HALIFAX -

The Nova Scotia government says that in the coming days it will start building a 500-metre-long berm to protect a low-lying land link between the province and New Brunswick.

The Chignecto Isthmus is increasingly prone to flooding and other climate change-related damage, and the total cost to upgrade the land link is estimated to be $650 million.

New Brunswick and Nova Scotia have gone to court to get the federal government to pay for all of the project, while Ottawa says costs should be shared.

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The Nova Scotia premier says that in the interim, his province will build the lengthy four-metre-high soil barrier along the LaPlanche River for $2 million to act as backup for the existing "aging and eroding" dike.

Houston says in a statement that this work needs to be done now in order to protect people living and working in Amherst, N.S., from extreme weather.

Climate researchers have forecast that one severe tidal storm moving up the Bay of Fundy is capable of overcoming dikes, flooding communities, disconnecting the province from the rest of Canada, and stopping ground or rail transport of goods and services.

"While we put contingency plans in place like this berm, we need the federal government to acknowledge the national importance of the Chignecto Isthmus and take the climate change threats we face seriously," Houston said in a statement.

"I am again calling on Liberal MPs to show leadership on this crucial issue, fully fund the project and do what is right for Nova Scotians."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2024.