Ottawa, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia strike deal on Chignecto funding

Jacques Poitras · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 20, 2025 2:00 PM EDT | Last Updated: 12 minutes ago

The federal, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia governments person reached a woody connected a large infrastructure task to support the low-lying Chignecto Isthmus from the effects of clime change.

Ottawa and the 2 provinces volition walk $650 cardinal implicit the adjacent 10 years to reenforce centuries-old dikes to trim the hazard of flooding successful the captious onshore nexus betwixt New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

The isthmus is the lone way for nationalist railway, highway, and powerfulness and connection lines that link Nova Scotia to the remainder of Canada.

The 2 provinces had opposed the national government's projected backing look for the project, which would spot Ottawa wage 50 per cent of the outgo and the provinces 25 per cent each.

"We agreed to this to debar delays successful the important enactment needed connected the isthmus," Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston wrote successful a missive to national enactment leaders Thursday, laying retired the province's issues up of an expected predetermination campaign.

Nova Scotia Public Works Minister Fred Tilley said successful a associated news release that the state was getting connected committee with the program due to the fact that of the menace of U.S. tariffs and the request to reenforce interprovincial commerce.

"Protecting Nova Scotia's main transportation to the remainder of Canada has ne'er been much important arsenic we instrumentality enactment to summation commercialized betwixt provinces," Tilley said.

"That's wherefore we are taking a Team Canada approach. We're putting the interests of our state archetypal and showing enactment arsenic we unlock our potential."

Ottawa estimates $100 cardinal of goods and services walk done the isthmus corridor daily.

The announcement comes conscionable days earlier an expected national predetermination telephone by caller Liberal Prime Minister Mark Carney.

In the aforesaid quality release, New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt welcomed the statement but called the dike task "only the archetypal measurement successful implementing a semipermanent clime mitigation solution for the Chignecto Isthmus."

The 2 provincial governments person been negotiating with Ottawa for years astir upgrading the aging dike system, which dates backmost to the accomplishment of Acadian settlers successful 1671.

Experts person warned that sea-level emergence and progressively utmost upwind could pb to flooding that overwhelms the existing 35 kilometres of dikes, severing Nova Scotia's links to the remainder of Canada. 

The 2 provinces had argued that Ottawa should wage the afloat outgo of the task due to the fact that interprovincial links autumn nether the national government's law responsibilities.

They reluctantly agreed successful 2023 to use for the 50-per-cent national backing nether Ottawa's Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund — portion continuing to reason Ottawa should wage the afloat amount.

Last fall, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston wouldn't perpetrate to accepting the funding, saying the 2023 exertion was "a placeholder" and Ottawa should "do what's right."

Nova Scotia launched a notation lawsuit successful 2023 earlier the province's Court of Appeal, asking justices to measurement successful with a non-binding sentiment connected that issue.

Earlier this month, national lawyers asked the tribunal to workout its quality to not reply the question, arguing that Nova Scotia was seeking a ineligible sentiment connected what was fundamentally a governmental disagreement.

If the tribunal rejects that request, the province's lawsuit tin spell ahead.

The Appeal Court said successful an bid issued Thursday that it would regularisation connected that astatine a aboriginal date, aft proceeding main arguments successful the lawsuit successful a two-day proceeding May 20 and 21.

Houston said successful his missive that contempt the backing agreement, his authorities would proceed with the notation lawsuit to find if "paying for the isthmus is simply a national responsibility."

Lawyers for Nova Scotia said successful tribunal they're not asking the tribunal to regularisation connected who should wage but to supply clarity connected who has ineligible authorization to support the CN railway, Trans-Canada Highway, electrical transmission lines and fibre-optic cables connected the isthmus.

The Société de l'Acadie du Nouveau-Brunswick has projected the instauration of a nationalist parkland successful the isthmus due to the fact that of its humanities value to Indigenous radical and Acadians.