Work to protect Chignecto Isthmus going too slowly, say local politicians

Officials elected by the people living on and near the Chignecto Isthmus say work to protect the low-lying strip of land that connects mainland Nova Scotia to New Brunswick is going too slowly.

Local MLAs, mayors and other stakeholders attended a meeting this week at Amherst Town Hall, where they discussed pending upgrades to the centuries-old dike system that protects the isthmus from the battering tides of the Bay of Fundy and Northumberland Strait.

Amherst Mayor David Kogon said it's time for the provincial governments and Ottawa to stop fighting over who will pay for the project and get to work.

Scientists have estimated that extreme weather and rising sea levels caused by climate change threaten to flood the Chignecto Isthmus by the year 2100, which would have devastating effects for Amherst.

Kogon said he worries that timeline is accelerating, and there's little his town can do to protect itself.

"All we can do is advocate and push the higher levels of government because that's where the money is," he told reporters following the meeting.

Two years ago, a study commissioned by Nova Scotia and New Brunswick yielded a report that said the dikes need major repairs.

No construction has started, but a spokesperson for the Nova Scotia Department of Public Works said there is other work underway. They said staff are studying the impact of water movement in the area, hiring a project manager and engaging with governments, academics and others.

Work stalled over funding questions

Kogon said he has "full confidence" in the work getting done, eventually, but he thinks it's stalled.

"Unfortunately they can only plan to a certain point. They can't go beyond a very beginning nature in the planning until the financial agreements are in place on how it will be paid for."

But Nova Scotia Public Works Minister Kim Masland said it's not true that things have stalled. She said she knows things need to move quickly, and she worries every time a major storm hits the area, but there are some things that can't be sped up.

"We have regulatory approvals we have to go through," she said, adding that there's a "tremendous amount of work to be done before we can actually put shovels into the ground."

The study from 2022 pegged the cost of raising and strengthening the dikes around $300 million, but the cost estimate has since ballooned to $650 million. 

Ottawa wants to share the cost with the provinces, but the provinces want the federal government to cover the whole bill. 

Nova Scotia and New Brunswick reluctantly applied for a cost-share agreement through the federal Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund, but they're also in the midst of a court case pushing for Ottawa to pay more. 

New Brunswick Green MLA Megan Mitton and Nova Scotia Independent MLA Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin were both at the meeting in Amherst this week, and said their constituents are tired of waiting.

"It's frustrating because we've lost precious time," said Mitton.

"People want shovels in the ground," said Smith-McCrossin.

Bill passed in Senate

New Brunswick Sen. Jim Quinn thinks a bill he introduced could help move things along. 

"We simply need to do this more quickly," Quinn told reporters in Amherst.

Bill S-273 passed through the Senate this spring. Quinn said Conservative MP Stephen Ellis, who represents the Nova Scotia riding of Cumberland-Colchester, will sponsor the bill in the House of Commons this fall.

The bill declares improvements to the dikes on the Chignecto Isthmus "to be for the general advantage of Canada." It does not explicitly call for Ottawa to pay for the whole project, but Quinn said it could lead to the federal government paying for more than the 50 per cent that's currently on the table.

He said it could also result in the federal government taking the lead on other aspects of the project such as consulting with Indigenous communities and assessing environmental impacts. 

Quinn said he thinks his bill also highlights the need for regional equity, pointing to Ottawa's decision to spend $1 billion over 25 years to repair and maintain a Quebec bridge, while resisting the call to pay for the Chignecto Isthmus work.

"We need to be treated fairly and equally as others in the federation," said Quinn.