Premiers call for full federal funding of Chignecto Isthmus project, while feds offer half
It’s been 16 years since a UN climate change report highlighted the increasing risk to infrastructure on the Chignecto Isthmus due to rising sea levels, mentioning it alongside the city of New Orleans. But the provinces and the federal government have yet to agree on who will cover the cost to protect that infrastructure. The federal government is promising to cover up to 50% of the cost, but the four Atlantic premiers are calling on the federal government to cover the full cost of the project.
After a recent meeting in Mill River, PEI, the Council of Atlantic Premiers issued a statement acknowledging the isthmus as “a vital corridor at risk due to rising sea levels”, and saying the premiers, “reiterated that the federal government has a constitutional responsibility to maintain links between provinces and fully fund this project.”
A spokesperson for New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs confirmed via email that the premiers were asking for 100% federal funding of the infrastructure project, which was estimated to cost between $190 million and $300 million in a study released last year.
That’s a departure from recent statements by the provincial ministers from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.… Continue
Tantramar Report: Bill Casey makes his case for Cumberland North, town council to discuss skateboards and rink subsidies tonight
On Tuesday’s Tantramar Report:
Journalist Bruce Wark brings us another instalment of his coverage of the Nova Scotia election as seen from Cumberland county. This time Wark speaks with former MP and Liberal candidate Bill Casey.
The town of Sackville meets tonight for a discussion meeting covering a number of topics first brought up before the last election. Skateboards on town streets and rink subsidies for the Civic Centre are both on the agenda. Up to 20 members of the public are invited to join the meeting in person and people can also participate online.
New Brunswick has 37 active cases of COVID-19, with 24 of those in Zone 1. Those numbers are as of Sunday, when the province announced 18 new cases, all but one of which was in Zone 1. When asked about the spike in cases as the provincial public health order ends, Premier Blaine Higgs said he felt the rewards outweighed the risks.
The Sackville Food Bank is looking for help packing lunches for a Tantramar High School transition camp, a special week of activities for at-risk students making the move from middle school to high school this September.
The Joggins Fossil Institute is looking for visual and performing artists who want to “explore the myriad relationships between the human experience and the natural world,” as part of their 2022 Artscape Artist-in-Residence program. … Continue
Cheers and jeers for Rankin in Amherst, as he promises to end Cobequid tolls for Nova Scotians
Nova Scotia Premier Iain Rankin’s campaign took him to Amherst on Tuesday to make an announcement alongside his Cumberland North candidate, Bill Casey.
A video of the event posted by the Nova Scotia Liberal Party shows both cheers and jeers from the gathered crowd, as the Liberal leader promised a partial elimination of tolls on the Cobequid Pass. If re-elected, Rankin says a Liberal government would remove tolls for non-commercial vehicles with Nova Scotia plates on October 1.
Rankin said no jobs would be cut in the process, as the toll gates will still operate in order to charge freight traffic and non-Nova Scotia drivers. “The revenue will continue to be used for maintenance,” said Rankin, “and we intend to construct rest stops and equipment depots at the midway point on both sides of the highway.”
The toll on the Cobequid Pass has been in place since the highway opened in 1997. Thirty years later in 2017, the Nova Scotia government promised to lift tolls as soon as all debts were paid off. Rankin said Tuesday that higher than expected revenues on the pass have made it possible to take the step this fall.
SMITH-MCCROSSIN SUPPORTERS SHOUT DOWN RANKIN
Supporters of newly-independent incumbent candidate Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin gathered at the campaign stop and milled about with signs reading things like, “Elizabeth for Premier”.… Continue