Federal cabinet ministers are threatening to pull an offer of $325 million to protect a vital land link between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick unless the two provinces agree to share the costs.
Letters released today by Infrastructure Minister Sean Fraser and Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc say they’ll shift the money elsewhere in the country if the provinces won’t pay their half of the $650-million cost of upgrading the Chignecto Isthmus.
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Premier Tim Houston sent a letter Sunday to the seven Liberal members of Parliament in Nova Scotia urging Ottawa to fully fund the expensive work needed to protect the Chignecto Isthmus against rising sea levels and storms.
In a letter of response sent today, Fraser writes that Atlantic Canadians won’t be pleased to learn that Ottawa is ready to invest hundreds of millions of dollars but cannot because provincial governments “are making a conscious choice not to help.”
The letter says if Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are not willing to share half the cost of the project, he will send the funding to other communities willing to be more co-operative.
LeBlanc’s letter says the two provinces “have refused to budge” from their position that Ottawa should cover the full cost and are causing delays by taking the matter to court.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
