Another twist in the ongoing battle over who should pay for repairing the Chignecto Isthmus.
The vital land link between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick is need of repairs and the cost of fixing it is estimated at $650 million.
Over the weekend Premier Tim Houston wrote a letter to seven liberal members of parliament in another push to have the federal government pay for the total bill.
In a responding letter, Federal Housing Minister Sean Fraser says he is disappointed in this move and reiterates that Ottawa is willing to pay no more than half.
“You make the claim that the federal government is not willing to “do its part,” despite that on August 27 (nearly 3 weeks in advance of your letter) I informed you personally that the
federal government was prepared to invest $325 million to complete the work required to protect the isthmus.”
“What is clear from your letter is not only that you want the federal government to do its part, but that you want the federal government to do Nova Scotia’s part as well.”
Placing blame…
Fraser adds, he recognizes it can be “advantageous” or even “popular at times” for provincial governments to blame Ottawa when issues become expensive or politically challenging.
However, he insists both Nova Scotia and the feds have a role to play and accuses Houston of refusing to be “part of the solution”.
Fraser says they should not blame one another when it becomes “politically convenient” and accuses Houston of “fabricating” a trade-off between the Isthmus and other priorities.
“You threaten that projects like constructing a new seawall in Halifax or the recapitalization of waterfront assets on the Lunenburg waterfront might not go ahead if your government
is required to do its part to protect the isthmus. In fact, you even threaten that you might need to “take away from healthcare spending.”
“We learned that Nova Scotia had an unexpected budget surplus last year of $143.6 million for a number of reasons, including higher than expected federal transfers. If you are looking
for funds to do both the right thing to protect the isthmus, as well as manage other priorities, you could begin by looking there.”
To the courts…
The matter has gone to the courts.
The Nova Scotia Court of Appeal is determining whether Ottawa is financially responsible for the trade corridor.
Houston stresses, he is “hopeful” the court will confirm Ottawa’s responsibility and “continue its history of covering one hundred per cent of the costs of infrastructure projects that are of national importance.”
Fraser however, says Nova Scotia is refusing to be part of the solution and that it needs to be a partnership, or they will reallocate the funds to other communities who will.
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