HALIFAX – A dispute over who should pay the cost of protecting the narrow low-lying strip of land that links Nova Scotia and New Brunswick is before the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal today.
Over two days, a three-member panel will hear the case brought against the federal government by the provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.
In a legal filing in July 2023, Nova Scotia government asked the court for an opinion on which level of government is responsible for covering the cost of protecting infrastructure on the Chignecto Isthmus from severe flooding.
The provinces maintain that Ottawa should pay for the entire cost of upgrading the isthmus, currently estimated at $650 million.
To date, the federal government has agreed to pay $325 million, or half the cost, under its disaster mitigation and adaptation fund.
Climate researchers warn that one severe tidal storm is capable of overcoming the area’s dikes, flooding communities and halting the transportation of goods and services across the area.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 11, 2025.
