Maritime Link expropriation opposed by 16 landowners in Cape Breton

Proponents of the Maritime Link will ask theNova Scotia Utility and Review Board to determine a fair market value for 16 propertiesin Cape Breton County that have beenearmarked for expropriation.

The Maritime Link will come ashoreto Point Aconifrom the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric project in Newfoundland. Itwill thenpass over private properties to Woodbine, tens of kilometres away.

• Maritime Link on schedule to be in service by 2017: Emera

• Maritime Link construction underway in western Newfoundland

• Maritime Link construction plans outlined for Cape Breton

The Link is part of a renewable energy strategyand requires170 kilometres of subsea high-voltagecables to be built under the Cabot Strait, then above ground throughNewfoundland and Nova Scotia.

Emera will own the Linkand has been working for months withthe N.L. power company, Nalcor,to secure a corridor in Cape Breton.

The companiessay they havealready settled with 300 landowners. There are 16 holdouts.

One of them is86-year-old Percy MacKenzie of George's River. He says the offer wasmuchtoo low.

"They offered me $13,000for probably seven or eight acres of land," he said.

MacKenzie also complainedthe company hasremoved gravel from a piton hispropertywithout permission or payment.

"They took fill right off of the back when they moved in there, for to do whatever they wanttodo," he alleged.

"Never asked me for it or nothing. Not a word did they ask me."

MacKenziehired a lawyer.Since then, he says,the negotiations between the parties over a fair price for the landhavecost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

MacKenziecountered the $13,000offer by asking for $150,000.The companies rejected it.

Now, he says he'sso annoyed by the whole thing that "if they turned around now and offered me $150,000I told my lawyersit's turned down automatically 'cause I'm not settling for no $150,000. Now it'll be up at the very least, $180,000."

Emerahas served notice to a number of the holdouts that it will ask the Utility and Review Boardto decide on a fair market value in order to move forward.