Premiers agree to apply for 50% federal funding on Isthmus project, now estimated to cost $700 million
The provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia will apply for federal funding to help pay for the protection of the Chignecto Isthmus, but they will also pursue court direction on whether or not the federal government should indeed be covering the entire cost of the project.
Premier Blaine Higgs shared the news in a conference Tuesday, along with a number of federal ministers and Atlantic premiers, marking the renewal of the federal-provincial Atlantic Growth Strategy.
“Yes, we will be applying for it to meet the deadlines that have been put forward,” Higgs told reporters. “At the same time, we will be seeking clarification and legal interpretation of the constitution.”
Higgs said that given the deadline of July 19 for the current round of the federal Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund, “it would be prudent for us to go both avenues, one notwithstanding the other.”
Premier Tim Houston told reporters he would be seeking an opinion on the matter from provincial appeals court.
The cost estimate for the project has ballooned since the long awaited release of a 2019 engineering study on the project, according to comments Tuesday from Higgs and Houston. What was once estimated to cost between $190 million and $300 million is now expected to cost about $700 million, according to Houston. That means a federal contribution could run as high as $350 million, and the provinces could each be responsible for $175 million in costs.… Continue
Higgs and Houston argument is ‘hot air’ says prof, as federal funding deadline approaches for Chignecto Isthmus
Federal infrastructure minister Dominic LeBlanc has responded to a threat from premiers Blaine Higgs and Tim Houston, who have said they will take the federal government to court over its refusal to fund 100% of the Chignecto Isthmus protection project.
In a letter on July 4, Higgs asserted that the Constitution Act of 1867 outlines the responsibility of the federal government to “maintain and secure transportation links between provinces.” Previously, Higgs compared the Isthmus project to the Confederation Bridge, which was funded by the federal government in the 1990’s.
A spokesperson for LeBlanc says the constitutional argument is “inaccurate”, and a political science professor from Mount Allison agrees.
Here’s the full statement from LeBlanc’s spokesperson, Jean-Sébastien Comeau:
… Continue“Our position is and has always been clear – the protection of the Chignecto Isthmus is a shared responsibility between the Government of Canada, the Government of New Brunswick and the Government of Nova Scotia. It is inaccurate to pretend that the Government of Canada has a constitutional responsibility to maintain the provincially-owned highway that runs through the Isthmus, or to compare this situation to an article of Confederation negotiated by some other Province at the time they joined Canada. It is unfortunate that Premier Higgs is threatening a legal battle which would be a waste of time and public funds. Such a move does nothing to protect communities and critical supply lines along the Isthmus.
Higgs threatens court action over funding to protect Isthmus, Mitton calls out ‘politics being played’
Premier Blaine Higgs has threatened to take the federal government to court if it doesn’t agree to cover 100% of the cost of the Chignecto Isthmus protection project. The premier made the statement in a letter to federal infrastructure minister Dominic LeBlanc on July 4.
However in the same letter, the premier also reserves the right to agree to a hypothetical two-thirds federal funding formula.
Higgs’ letter is in response to one from LeBlanc on June 23, denying the assertion by Higgs and his Nova Scotia counterpart, Tim Houston, that the project should be fully funded by Canada, and setting a deadline of July 19 for the provinces to apply for 50% funding under a federal climate adaptation fund.
In his July 4 letter, Higgs writes that he was profoundly disappointed with LeBlanc’s letter. “Your government’s refusal to recognize and act upon its constitutional responsibility for this project will have negative ramifications for this vital transportation gateway and the Canadians it serves,” writes Higgs.
The premier goes on to say that the Constitution Act of 1867 outlines the responsibility of the federal government to “maintain and secure transportation links between provinces.” Because the Isthmus supports major transportation and communications infrastructure, Higgs argues that the protection of the land bridge also qualifies as a federal responsibility.
“If the federal government refuses to accept its constitutional responsibility in this manner, it will be up to the governments of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia to ask the courts to enforce our nation’s supreme law,” writes Higgs.… Continue
Chignecto Isthmus impasse: LeBlanc refuses full funding, gives Higgs and Houston July 19 deadline to apply for 50%
Federal and provincial ministers continue the impasse over who will fund the protection of the transportation corridor along the Chignecto Isthmus, which connects New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
The corridor is at risk from sea level rise and storm surges which could wash out the rail line and highway which is estimated to transport between $35 million and $50 million worth of goods every day.
The latest official communication comes from federal infrastructure minister (and Beauséjour MP) Dominic LeBlanc, who wrote to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia premiers Blaine Higgs and Tim Houston on June 23, refusing their demand for the federal government to fully fund the project.
The premiers, along with their other Atlantic counterparts, made the request based on the idea that the corridor is of national importance, similar to the Confederation Bridge.
LeBlanc rejects that argument in his June letter, writing that “the federal government is not responsible for a complete funding of this project.”
Instead, Leblanc urged the premiers to apply for the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund, which he says is the only program available to help pay for the project. That fund could cover up to 50% of the cost, leaving the provinces to make up the other half. The deadline to apply for the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund is just a few weeks away on July 19.… Continue
‘Hugely disappointed’ in Higgs’ health shake up, says rural health group co-chair John Higham
John Higham is not very hopeful about the shake-up in New Brunswick health care announced last week by Premier Blaine Higgs. In fact, the former Sackville mayor and co-chair of the Rural Health Action Group says he is “hugely disappointed” in Higgs’ announcement on Friday that he is firing Horizon CEO John Dornan, dissolving Horizon and Vitalité boards, and shuffling his cabinet ministers around to put Bruce Fitch in charge of health and Dorothy Shephard in charge of social development.
Higham has been involved in defending health care services in Sackville since the “first significant threat” to the hospital took place while he was mayor, in February 2020. Since then, the overarching issue he’s observed is that “health services have just been divorced from community needs and desire to help.” Higham felt the work he and the other volunteers of the Rural Health Action Group have done in the past while was working towards changing that.
“We saw some great progress in the last few years,” Higham says, “particularly with our collaboration with Horizon and with Dr. Dornan’s understanding of what he saw in rural [health], and what was required. And now I just don’t see any of that. I’m really frustrated with this announcement.”
Here the full interview with John Higham here:
“Put aside the pension issue” to end dispute, says Mitton
Memramcook-Tantramar MLA Megan Mitton says Premier Blaine Higgs should set aside the issue of pensions in order to get CUPE workers back on the job. “The premier needs to go back to the negotiating table,” says Mitton. “There are people across the province who are experiencing everything from an inconvenience to a hardship, because of the worker action that he has forced.”
Speaking on behalf of the Green caucus, Mitton says, “we’re calling on the Premier to go back to the negotiating table, and to put aside the pension issue for a later date.”
Higgs has said that “fixing pensions is a requirement,” to resolving the current dispute.
The government has proposed to transform pensions for two CUPE locals to shared risk style pensions, where the costs and benefits can fluctuate according to how the plan performs investment-wise. The shared risk model would relieve the government of having to make up shortfalls in the pension plans. The plan would also mean that cost of living increases in benefits would be contingent on the performance of the pension fund.
In addition to converting pensions for two locals, Higgs has offered to add educational assistants to the plan.
Higgs has long been a fan of the shared risk model, and transformed some public pensions back in 2013, when he was finance minister in David Alward’s government. The changes were supported by some unions at the time, but also met with considerable opposition from pensioners who saw their benefits at risk of decreasing.… Continue
As COVID restrictions end July 30, Higgs expects little reaction from Atlantic provinces
Public health restrictions to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in New Brunswick will come to an end on Friday, July 30 at midnight, the premier announced on Friday afternoon.
The mandatory order imposing things such as border controls, mask wearing and reduced capacities for gatherings and businesses will not be renewed when it expires next week, Higgs told a news conference.
“Today is the day we’ve all been looking forward to,” said Higgs, “and I’m sure it’s one that I will always remember.”
Originally, the province’s recovery plan set August 2 as the planned date for lifting the mandatory order, as long as 75% of eligible New Brunswickers had received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine by then. As of Friday, July 23, just 62.75% of eligible people have received two shots in New Brunswick. Another 84,000 people need to receive a second shot before that original target is hit, which is likely more than a week away, going by past rates of vaccination. Higgs said Friday he feels that the number of double vaccinated people by July 30 will be enough to mitigate the risks.
“By the end of next week, the percentage of eligible New Brunswickers vaccinated with a second dose will be sufficient to balance out many of the current risks of living with COVID-19,” said Higgs, “while we continue to strive to immunize as many New Brunswickers as possible.”
“The case to maintain a mandatory emergency order no longer exists,” said the premier.… Continue
NB COVID update: still no cases, more testing called for
New Brunswick is continuing its streak of no new reported cases of COVID-19 in the province. As of Monday it’s been 9 days without a new reported case. Chief Medical Officer of Health Jennifer Russell shared the good news in yesterday’s briefing, but not without some reservations.
“We are no where near ready to declare victory over the COVID-19 virus, as heartening as it is to report no new cases,” Russell said. “COVID-19 is still with us. It will be with us for a very long time. And we need to be able to accurately track its progress and contain outbreaks when they emerge until a vaccine or other treatment becomes widely available.”
Russell asked New Brunswickers to make sure they are getting tested when they need to. Currently, anyone with two of the following five symptom should be getting tested:
- a fever above 39 degrees Celsius
- a persistent cough
- a sore throat,
- a headache,
- and a runny nose.
Russell said the number of symptoms that trigger testing may be adjusted down in the coming days, to ensure that people are indeed getting tested. The province’s testing capacity is 1000 tests per day, however current testing numbers are not reaching that threshold. Currently, New Brunswick has completed just over 13,000 tests across the province, or about 17 tests for every 100 people. That’s on par with other provinces where the outbreak has been small. Russell said capacity will go up to 2000 in the weeks to come.… Continue