Community leaders in the Chignecto region are happy that the New Brunswick and Nova Scotia governments have opted to apply for federal funding to help protect their vulnerable area, but say a sense of urgency is needed.
The two provinces announced on Tuesday that they would apply to the federal Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund for financial assistance in raising and repairing the network of aging dikes that protect the Chignecto Isthmus from the ocean.
Tantramar Mayor Andrew Black said he was pleased to see some progress on the project, even if it is minor.
“It’s relieving, honestly,” he said.
“It’s been fairly frustrating. I feel like I’ve been talking about the Chignecto Isthmus every day since before the last municipal election.”
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The federal program will offer 50 per cent of the cost of the project if the application is accepted. Both provinces wanted the federal government to pick up the entire tab, which is now estimated to exceed $600 million. They argue that the infrastructure connecting the two provinces should fall under federal responsibility and will seek a judicial ruling even as they apply for funding.
“It’s also important, certainly for our region, just to get a reference from the courts on whose responsibility this really is and we believe it’s the federal government’s responsibility,” Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston told reporters on Tuesday.
Memramcook-Tantramar MLA Megan Mitton said she’s happy to see that the provinces ultimately opted to apply to the program, but worries that progress toward the project, which still needs significant study and engineering work, may be delayed by legal action.
“It sounds like they’re going to go to court, which sounds like it could be a waste of money but I hope that it doesn’t waste any time,” she said.
“I hope that they keep moving forward even though they’re planning on going to court.”
While the dikes holding back the waters of the Bay of Fundy may not be regularly topped by high tide this century, Black said urgency is still needed. Experts say that a well-placed storm could put portions of Sackville under water.
That’s fresh in Black’s mind after seeing post-tropical storm Fiona decimate parts of Atlantic Canada last hurricane season.
“We dodged a bullet but the sense of urgency because of Fiona and because of these storm events should push the interested parties to deal with the Chignecto Isthmus,” he said.
“The next storm could be just down the road.”