Opposition sounds alarm on Nova Scotia's only land link to Canada

HALIFAX -- One of Nova Scotia's opposition parties is calling for steps to be taken to maintain the land link between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick by raising and reinforcing dikes at the narrow isthmus that joins the provinces.

The New Democrats say in a release they will introduce a private member's bill that would require the province's agriculture minister to take steps to maintain the low-lying area where the Trans-Canada Highway goes over the Tantramar marshes.

The party says in an emailed statement that the governing Liberals should spend at least $10 million per year on maintaining the dikes in each of the next five years.

Last fall, the mayor of Amherst also raised concerns about the condition of the historic Acadian dikes and their ability to hold back rising sea levels occurring due to climate change.

Mayor David Kogon has said sea levels are projected to rise in the Bay of Fundy over the next two decades to the point where the Isthmus of Chignecto will flood even when there is no storm surge.

The area where flooding could occur includes 20 kilometres of the Trans-Canada Highway, 20 kilometres of CN Rail, 35 kilometres of electricity lines and 35 kilometres of dikes.

Kogon has said he wants all three levels of government to work together, adding the first step would be an engineering study to determine the scope of the required repairs.

The provincial government has said it is developing new design standards that incorporate sea level rise and storm surge into dike maintenance and construction.

The province has also said that in the Amherst area specifically, it has allocated $10 million be spent to replace the Laplanche aboiteau for local farmland, and the two provinces have submitted a joint proposal asking Ottawa to fund an engineering study.

Infrastructure Canada is creating a $2-billion Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund, which is "designed to support investments that will mitigate current and future climate risks, such as floods, wildfires and droughts by building or reinforcing constructed and natural infrastructure."