A disagreement over who should foot the bill for the work necessary to protect the Chignecto Isthmus has devolved into a war of words between Ottawa, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

On Tuesday, the federal government made public letters from two federal ministers, Dominic LeBlanc and Sean Fraser, blaming premiers Blaine Higgs and Tim Houston for jeopardizing that work by not agreeing to share in the cost to repair or replace the aging dike system. 

Those structures help protect the stretch of land between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick from flooding that could sever that link. With millions of dollars of trade passing through the corridor each day, along with a rail connection and transmission lines between the two provinces, the concern is that a major storm could cut Nova Scotia off from the rest of the country.

"We must act now to protect the Chignecto Isthmus against the increasing threat of severe weather events and flooding," Fraser noted in a letter to Houston dated Sept. 16.

"Officials from all three governments continue to work collaboratively, and are awaiting the political signal to begin next steps — a signal which does not seem to be forthcoming from either Nova Scotia or New Brunswick."

LeBlanc's letter to Higgs is less pointed, but also noted Ottawa was prepared to cover what it saw as half the cost of the project, $325 million.

"A commitment from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia to jointly fund the remaining 50 per cent of the project costs would allow this project to move forward under the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund," wrote LeBlanc. "Without such a commitment, the project will be ineligible for support through the program."

The letter went on to say that if Nova Scotia and New Brunswick don't cover half of the cost, Fraser "will be required to reallocate the funding to other communities who are willing and ready to comply with the program's requirements."

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, right, and New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs, left, are being accused by federal ministers of not paying their share of costs to protect the Chignecto Isthmus. (Radio-Canada)

Both LeBlanc and Fraser implored the provinces to agree to chip in "before it is too late."

The two provincial governments have signed an agreement for how they will work together on the early planning stages required in the lead up to the upgrade of the isthmus. They recently announced a project manager who will oversee work that includes data collection, regulatory measures, stakeholder meetings and archaeological reports. 

Court action started in 2023

The Houston government has asked the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal to rule on whether this work is entirely a federal responsibility. It initiated court action in July 2023 but submitted the reasoning for its claim last Friday.

Houston then sent a copy of the province's factum to Nova Scotia's Liberal members of Parliament imploring them to lobby their own government on the province's behalf.

"I ask that you use your position to urge your government to reconsider its position and take full responsibility for the costs of the Isthmus," wrote Houston. "The province will be there to support with design and in any practical capacity."

The alternative would mean a lengthy court case, said Houston, who added he was "confident the province will be successful."

'A dollar that is taken away from health care'

On Sunday, Houston went a step further, issuing a news release accusing the federal government of "inaction."

"While project priorities continue to be met and tenders issued, every dollar that the province spends on this is a dollar that is taken away from health care, other provincial priorities and Nova Scotians," said Houston.

He said that is why the province has gone to court to determine what level of government is responsible for paying for the work. 

Fraser referenced Houston's claims that the project could impact plans for a new seawall in Halifax, upgrades to the Lunenburg waterfront as well as health-care spending. 

"I would remind you that the current federal government has provided some of the largest Canada Health Transfers to Nova Scotia in our history," said Fraser.

"There is no good justification to threaten a reduction in health-care spending, particularly when so many Nova Scotian households live with real anxiety over health needs that continue to go unmet."