Chignecto Isthmus work still in planning phase, construction could be years away

Nova Scotia Public Works Minister Fred Tilley says it could be years before construction begins on a project to protect the vulnerable Chignecto Isthmus.

"Well, there's a lot of work that has to happen before work starts," Tilley told reporters following a cabinet meeting Thursday.

He said environmental work and consultation with New Brunswick is ongoing — steps that he described as "pre-engineering" work.

Calls for accountability

Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin, the Independent MLA whose Cumberland North riding includes part of the isthmus, said Tilley's comments explain very little.

"We need to see better accountability and transparency on this project and we need to get shovels in the ground. We need to see work get started," she said in an interview.

Smith-McCrossin said she wants the province to have a dedicated website with regular updates on the details and timing of the work. She said she's not aware of any public outreach by the government, and her community is hungry for information.

A department spokesperson said there is "continuing engagement with communities and stakeholders."

Smith-McCrossin said the threat of catastrophic flooding from a major storm is on the minds of everyone who lives on or near the isthmus. 

The low-lying strip of land connecting Nova Scotia and New Brunswick is protected from the punishing tides of the Bay of Fundy by a system of dikes, some of which are centuries old. The latest cost estimate for bolstering the system is $650 million.

Liberal MLA Iain Rankin said he agrees with Smith-McCrossin that there should be shovels in the ground by now. It's been more than three years since a government-commissioned report detailed what would need to be done. 

"It's an odd thing for the minister to say there's a lot of work before the work happens," he told reporters Thursday.

Rankin added that he would like to see the details of the work that's gone on so far, to better understand the pace of progress.

NDP MLA Susan Leblanc said she was "very worried," that construction has yet to begin.

Reviewing court's refusal

Tilley said the province is reviewing the recent decision from the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal to not answer a reference question about legislative authority over the isthmus.

He echoed the position taken by Premier Tim Houston that "political overtones" were not a good reason for refusing to answer.

Tilley, again echoing the premier, said the case would have answered the question of who should pay for the project. In fact, the court was clear that the question posed by the province did not get at the issue of financial responsibility. 

Tilley later corrected himself about the scope of the case, but could not say why the court's opinion on legislative authority would have been useful to the province.

The discrepancy between Houston's public comments and the actual question his government's lawyers brought forward was a point of contention in the Appeal Court hearing. The judges accused the province of enlisting the court in a political dispute.

Ottawa has agreed to pay for half of the project, while Nova Scotia and New Brunswick have agreed to pay a quarter each. Houston maintains that Ottawa should pay the whole cost.