Political leaders gather to call for urgency on Isthmus fix, and build awareness for bill S-273
Two mayors, two MLAs, and representatives from Acadian and Mi’kmaq groups gathered in person and virtually in Amherst on Tuesday afternoon to get an update from Canadian senator Jim Quinn about the future of Bill S-273, “An Act to declare the Chignecto Isthmus Dykeland System and related works to be for the general advantage of Canada.”
Quinn sponsored the bill, which would claim the Isthmus dykeland system under federal jurisdiction, but not commit specific funding to the project. It passed the Canadian senate in June and is expected to make it to the floor of the House of Commons this fall, with Conservative MP Stephen Ellis from Cumberland-Colchester as a sponsor.
Quinn says he believes S-273 has a shot to make it through the House of Commons if enough MPs are aware of it. He’s hoping the bill will at least make it past first and second reading and into committee, where witnesses can be called to talk about the risks.
“Now’s the time to start educating,” says Quinn, “because that’s what it was like in the Senate process. [It] was educating my colleagues on this area. We’re often forgotten, and a lot of people don’t know where the Chignecto Isthmus is.”
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
“It is worrisome”: Border mayors on New Brunswick’s case spike, and Nova Scotia’s possible reactions
The active case count in the Moncton region health zone has spiked in the past ten days, with 49 cases active as of Tuesday, up from zero on August 1. All eight of the new cases reported Tuesday by public health originated in the Moncton region.
On Monday, Public Health released some information about those cases, saying the vast majority are in people who are not fully immunized, though it did not specify how many were partially immunized. The majority of cases are also in people under 40 years of age.
Those details were released a number of days after Nova Scotia’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Robert Strang shared similar information about New Brunswick cases in a Nova Scotia COVID-19 briefing.
“We’re well aware of what’s happening in New Brunswick,” said Strang last Thursday when questioned by reporters. “Specifically, there’s a cluster of cases in young, un-immunized individuals in the Moncton area. We’re watching that very carefully.”
Canadian Press reporter Sarah Smellie askes Strang if he was concerned. Strang gave a typical “wait and see” response, saying Nova Scotia would “take action as appropriate and necessary.” Smellie then pressed him on what type of actions might be on the table.
“There’s a range of actions,” said Strang, “as we’ve done in the past. Whether it’s advising Nova Scotians not to travel, or even restricting travel, increasing our border measures for people coming from New Brunswick.”… Continue