Hantsport aboiteau work awaits necessary permits

Nova Scotia's infrastructure minister says he hopes work will be complete on the Hantsport aboiteau before the spring thaw.

Lloyd Hines told reporters last week his department is awaiting a permit from the provincial Environment Department, which is in turn waiting for approval from Fisheries and Oceans Canada, before work can begin on the site.

He expected to have that approval in hand "within the next 14 days," Hines said Thursday.

As they've been waiting, the minister said staff in his department have completed the necessary archaeological studies and consultation with First Nations communities.

"As soon as we get that full permission, we're ready to move on," he said.

"People can be assured that we're moving as quickly as we can, given the constraints that we have."

The province announced last month it would step in and repair the aboiteau on the Halfway Riverfirst with a temporary replacement and then a more long-term solution.

The 100-year-old aboiteau failed in late 2017. Since then the area has suffered flooding and erosion, damage to roads and private properties, loss of vegetation and trees and fears the bridge leading into town could washout.

The damaged aboiteau was a sluice gate that opened and shut with the height of the river. Hines wasn't able to say if the replacement would be a similar design. A department spokesperson said design work for the project has been finalized and would be shared with the public once all necessary approvals are in place.

Legal wrangling put on hold

Work on the aboiteau has been delayed, in part, because of a dispute between the provincial governmentand the Windsor and Hantsport Railway Company over who is responsible for the repairs.

Hines said the government's intention is that the railway company,owned by American businessman Bob Schmidt, should pay the bill. However, it remains to be seen if collection of those costs will actually be possible.

Court proceedings to settle that questionwere recently put on hold.