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