A new Battle of Chignecto sees provinces and federal government dodging the bill to fortify the Isthmus
It’s been about 275 years since the Battle of Chignecto saw two of North America’s colonial powers fight for control of the Chignecto Isthmus.
These days the strip of land is still highly valued, particularly as the only transportation corridor connecting Nova Scotia and Newfoundland with New Brunswick and the rest of the country.
But the Chignecto Isthmus is vulnerable to the realities of climate change. Sea level rise and more frequent, severe storms mean the threat of dykes breaching and flooding the corridor with coastal waters increases every year, as does the price of fortifying it, currently estimated at about $650 million.
And that’s why there’s a new battle of Chignecto in 2024, this time not about taking control of the Isthmus, but about giving up responsibility for maintaining it. While the federal government has committed to covering 50% of the substantial estimated cost, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia are insisting that it cover 100% of the bill to make the national transportation corridor future-proof.
The battle over paying for the Isthmus has three fronts: a constitutional case working its way slowly through the Nova Scotia Supreme Court, a senate sponsored bill making its way to the House of Commons this fall, and a very public shame and blame exercise between the two Premiers, Blaine Higgs and Tim Houston, and the two federal ministers associated with the project, Sean Fraser and Dominic LeBlanc.… Continue
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.”
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
Tantramar Report: abattoir renos begin, $15k recreation survey, and Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin takes Cumberland North
Thursday on Tantramar Report:
Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin has been officially re-elected in Cumberland North, but this time as an independent. She has agreed to work with the current Progressive Conservative majority government, but will not look to rejoin them. Smith-McCrossin says she helped write part of the PC platform including the promise to restore more local decision-making in Nova Scotia’s health care system.
Farmer Chris Pierce has started renovating the building at 72 Crescent Street in Sackville, where he has plans to open an abattoir and meat market. Building owner Richard Baughan confirmed that renovations for an abattoir were underway, though Pierce was unavailable to provide details. Sackville town council approved a zoning change and development agreement to make way for an abattoir on January 11. The agreement with the town requires that all activities of the abattoir have to be contained within the building, with no outdoor storage or animal pens. The New Brunswick Department of Health licenses and inspects abattoirs in the province. There is currently no Sackville-based abattoir listed on the Department of Health website.
Sackville residents have until this Saturday to vote on how the town will use $15,000 in prize money the town won after placing first provincially in the ParticiPACTION Community Better challenge. Choices include:
- introducing kayak, canoe and paddle board rentals at Silver Lake;
- enhancing the existing recreational equipment loan program at Bill Johnstone park;
- providing a recreation subsidy for individuals in children and youth sport; and,
- upgrading the Walker Road Trails for hiking and mountain biking.