Silence From Ottawa on Highways

Gordon Balser, Minister of Transportation and Public Works, is again asking his federal counterpart for answers on Ottawa's position to fund national highway improvements, including Nova Scotia's Highway 101.

The federal government has yet to respond to Nova Scotia's demands for federal funding for highway improvements or for written commitment from Transport Canada Minister David Collenette on an offer he reportedly made to Highway 101 twinning advocate Sonja Wood. Mr. Balser said that Ottawa appears to have ignored one of the province's major priorities.

"Since August, Premier John Hamm and I have repeatedly raised the need for a national highways program, cost-shared between both governments," said Mr. Balser, citing the annual premiers conference in August, the federal-provincial-territorial transportation ministers' meeting in September and the Council of Maritime Premiers in October. "We need a commitment for federal highway funding for the next fiscal year, which would allow for the most timely improvements to our highway priorities, including Highway 101."

More than five weeks have passed since Mr. Balser wrote Mr. Collenette to seek details on a verbal offer made in late October during a meeting with Sonja Wood. Reports said Mr. Collenette had suggested the province could spend its money on twinning Highway 101 before a formal federal-provincial agreement is signed. Mr. Balser noted this would contravene Canadian Environmental Assessment Act regulations which require federal funding be in place before environmental approvals for construction are given.

In his letter, Mr. Balser also renewed the province's demand that federal cost-shared funding for highways be made available in fiscal year 2000-01.

"The quickest and most effective way for Ottawa to support twinning of Highway 101 is a national highways program with funding available in the next fiscal year," said Mr. Balser.

The Department of Transportation and Public Works is proceeding with a number of pre-construction steps that are required before work can begin on the first phase of the project, which stretches 20 kilometres from Mount Uniake to Ellershouse and is estimated to cost $25.5 million. A department project team is making progress on a number of issues including property acquisition, land access, environmental approvals, surveying and highway design.

Some specifics involve the protection of the Pockwock watershed at Lacey Lake, protection of fish habitat at Dawson Brook, and mitigation of the impacts of acid slate along the alignment.

In preparation for the second phase, stretching from Ellershouse to Avonport, the department has begun a preliminary environmental screening. The screening helps identify areas that may require special consideration in the highway design for the twinning.

"We are making progress," said Mr. Balser. "It will all come down to co-operation with the federal government and funding."