The mayor of Amherst, N.S., says he hopes work can move ahead as soon as safely possible to address climate threats to the vital land border between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
“What’s becoming much more a reality is, if we get a big storm, hurricane, post-tropical storm, during a high tide with a full moon, we’re in for a potential flooding of the isthmus,” said Mayor David Kogon.
Experts have warned of climate threats to the Chignecto Isthmus, which is around the Trans Canada Highway that connects the two provinces. Previous projections suggest the isthmus could be at flood risk by the year 2100.
A study was completed about 10 months ago and highlighted three different options to address the area, including raising existing dikes, building new ones or raising the dikes and installing steel sheet pile walls.
The cost ranged from $190 million to more than $300 million.
“The magnitude and the scope of this project is something that we’ve never seen before,” said Kim Masland, Nova Scotia’s minister of public works.
The study anticipated that once an option was chosen, it would take five years for construction to begin and 10 years to complete the work.
At the time, Kogon accepted the timeline, but now it seems not soon enough.
“What’s changed was Hurricane Fiona. We had quite the fright with that significant of a storm hitting this area,” he said.
Kogon acknowledges it’s a massive undertaking, but says it needs to be the top priority for the provincial and federal governments so it can proceed as soon as possible.
“We have two different levels of government that we’re also dealing with. And it is going to take some time to get it right,” said Masland.
Liberal Leader Zach Churchill says the area has been at risk for a long time.
“The longer that we wait to deal with that, the more risk there is going to be,” he said.
Meanwhile, NDP Leader Claudia Chender pointed out the project should be a priority for everyone.
“I think it’s a massive, massive fear every day for people in Cumberland County. But it should be a massive fear for people across this province,” she added.
On the other side of the border, the newly-sworn-in mayor of the new town called Tantramar, N.B., says consequences could be severe if dikes are breached.
He’s hoping a mitigation option can be chosen soon.
“You want it to be done properly,” said Mayor Andrew Black.
“To start the work for a project this big and sort of do it halfway or rush it, I think would be wrong. But I think not having a commitment right now is just startling.”
Masland told reporters last week that the provinces are meeting regularly and are trying to figure out how to move forward with the planning process.
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