Head of Atlantic mayors group alarmed over Chignecto Isthmus standoff

Disagreements between different levels of government could cause delays to much needed flood mitigation work on the Chignecto Isthmus, says the mayor of Amherst, N.S.

David Kogon says he doesn't care how an agreement between Ottawa and the Nova Scotia and New Brunswick governments is reached, but officials need to work faster.

"Hurricane Fiona scared everyone in this area because we realized that these storms are getting worse and more frequent," says Kogon.

The isthmus is the only piece of land connecting Nova Scotia to the rest of Canada and faces the risk of climate change-related flooding as water levels rise.

A 2007 study by a United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change identified the Chignecto Isthmus as one of two vulnerable areas in North America.

'Figure it out'

The Atlantic Mayors Congress voted unanimously earlier this month to urge all parties involved to come to a resolution as soon as possible.

Kogon, who is chair of the congress, says if Nova Scotia experiences another storm similar to Fiona during high tide and a full moon, his community would be in a catastrophic situation.

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said last week the federal government has a constitutional responsibility to pay for the project, similar to the construction of the Confederation Bridge, which links Prince Edward Island to New Brunswick. 

However, federal Infrastructure Minister Dominic LeBlanc has said the bridge to P.E.I. was unique because that province had been promised year-round transportation to the mainland as part of negotiations to enter Confederation.

The federal government has offered to cover half of the estimated $301-million cost of work on the isthmus, with Nova Scotia and New Brunswick splitting the other half. The deadline to apply for that funding is July 19.

"My message to the governments, provincial and federal, would be please gentlemen, sit down at the table and figure it out so that we can move on and get the work done," Kogon says.

'It's going to happen'

Lifelong Amherst resident Bill Casey says he's been passionate about upgrading the Chignecto Isthmus since the United Nations identified it as being at risk of flooding.

Casey, who used to represent Cumberland-Colchester in Parliament, says he has been speaking to politicians at all levels about the need to fix the corridor before another nasty storm comes along.

"It's not a matter of if, it's just when," he says. "It's going to happen."

Communities far beyond Amherst would be affected, Casey says, and every industry in Atlantic Canada would take a hit.

"The thing that strikes me the most is Halifax will be the first victim, because they have two huge container ports," he says. "They handle 500,000 containers a year each and every one of those goes across this isthmus."

A study released last March says raising the height of the existing 35 kilometres of dikes along the isthmus would cost $200 million; building a new dike would cost $189 million; and raising the existing dikes and installing steel sheet pile walls in select locations would cost about $301 million.

"They have to choose one and put the money up and get it done," Casey says. "We're very lucky it hasn't happened yet."