N.B., N.S. premiers ask Ottawa for isthmus funding, but unhappily
CBC
The premiers of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia have reluctantly agreed to apply for shared federal funding to shore up the Chignecto Isthmus, a key transportation corridor threatened by climate change.
But Blaine Higgs and Tim Houston say they're not accepting that Ottawa will only pay for half the project and will still go to court to argue it should cover the entire cost, now estimated at $650 million.
The two Progressive Conservative premiers have been in a war of words with the federal Liberal government for more than a year over whose responsibility it is to reinforce the road, rail and telecommunications infrastructure linking New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
The federal government offered to fund up to half the project, and until Tuesday it wasn't clear if the two provinces would even apply for funding on that basis.
"Yes, we will be applying for it to meet the deadlines that have been put forward," Higgs said at a news conference.
"At the same time we will be seeking clarification and a legal interpretation of the Constitution."
Houston said his government will file a reference case with the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal to argue that Ottawa is obligated to pay the full cost of the project.
He said other provinces will likely intervene in that case. Reference rulings are non-binding.
"This is a nationally significant trade corridor," Houston said. "I don't believe there's disagreement on the significance of it, but I think there's a little bit of difference of opinion on who should pay. I believe it should be a priority of the federal government."
The two premiers spoke following an Atlantic Growth Strategy meeting of federal and provincial politicians from the region.
The deadline for the two provinces to file their applications to the federal Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund is 4 p.m. AT Wednesday.
"The federal government has dug in," Houston said. "They said 'No [to paying the full cost], apply under the program for half.' So we'll do that."
An estimated $35 billion in trade each year crosses the isthmus, which is protected from the Bay of Fundy tides by dikes and aboiteaux built centuries ago.
A 2018 report found that 70 per cent of the dikes in Nova Scotia are vulnerable to a one-in-50-years storm. Sea levels in the province are projected to increase by as much as a metre by 2100.
This First Person column is the experience of Shannon Flaman, who lives in Red Deer, Alta. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ.
City staff are working on long-term plans to prevent toxic and smelly algae blooms at the Hamilton harbour – and short-term plans to mitigate blooms when they happen – but are cautioning residents that it's not the type of problem with a quick fix.
Another blockade of the Ambassador Bridge wouldn't play out like what happened in February 2022 — thanks to police being empowered to act faster and harder, according to a report that's going to Windsor city council next week.
On the first day of 2025, Alberta's default electricity rate is set to be replaced by the new "rate of last resort," in what the province says is a bid to protect consumers from a volatile electricity pricing landscape.
Canadians and Americans sit next to each other in the stands of a small Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., hockey arena to watch the Soo Thunderbirds face off against their cross-border rivals, Michigan's Soo Eagles.
A number of school bus routes in northwestern Ontario have been cancelled Wednesday after a dump of snow overnight in the region. A number of weather advisories also remain in effect in the region, including snow squall warnings in the Greenstone area.
Waterloo regional councillors have voted down a motion that would have asked the Waterloo Regional Police Service to cut $4 million from its proposed 2025 budget.
Residents of a neighbourhood in the heart of downtown Charlottetown hope to have a community garden in place on some vacant land by the time spring arrives.
Planting trees is a popular way to mitigate climate change, but in northern and Arctic regions, it may not be an effective solution.
The RCMP says it's considering deploying Mounties-in-training to help police the Canada-U.S. border as political anxiety over border control mounts in the face of tariff threats from the incoming Trump administration.
Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were honoured Tuesday night before the Calgary Flames played the Columbus Blue Jackets, on the same ice where Johnny etched his place as a cherished member of the city's hockey community.