News Release

FREDERICTON (GNB) – A transportation study has recommended three options to help preserve the flow of goods and services between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

About $35 billion in trade is conducted via the Chignecto Isthmus each year.

“Work on the Chignecto Isthmus Climate Change Adaptation Engineering and Feasibility Study started in 2018, and collaboration between New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and the federal government was key to ensuring this vital economic link between both provinces remains protected,” said Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Jill Green. “Not only will this ensure the continuation of the trade corridor, but it should provide additional protection for residents in Sackville and surrounding areas.”

The options outlined in the study are:

·         raising the existing dikes;

·         building new dikes; or

·         raising the existing dikes and installing steel sheet pile walls at select locations.

The two provinces will decide on a course of action after discussing these options with the federal government.

“We now have three well-considered options for protecting the critical transportation infrastructure on the Chignecto Isthmus, as well as agricultural land, and, most importantly, local communities,” said Nova Scotia Public Works Minister Kim Masland. “This study will help guide our decisions.”

“On behalf of the Government of Canada, I congratulate our two provincial partners, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, for this study that identified options to protect the Chignecto Isthmus corridor from rising sea levels,” said federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra. “We need to consider how our transportation system can adapt to climate change.”

The cost of each option ranges from about $190 million to more than $300 million. Details can be found online in the study’s executive summary.

The National Trade Corridors Fund is designed to help infrastructure owners and users invest in transportation assets that support economic activity. A total of $4.2 billion over 11 years (2017-28) has been allocated for the fund.