Some big changes are coming to Saint John, N.B., for flood prevention.
One of them includes the raising of the Courtenay Bay Causeway, according to a Friday news release from the Canadian government.
A combined $30 million will go toward these projects — more than $12 million from the federal government and more than $18 million from the City of Saint John.
The federal funding is conditional on the fulfilment of environmental assessments and consultation with Indigenous groups, said the release.
Samir Yammine, the manager of asset management and environmental performance at the City of Saint John, said the project is still in the planning phase. The city is looking at a possible start time of next year, depending on the time it takes to finish designs and consultations with Indigenous communities.
Yammine said the causeway is a “critical infrastructure” for transportation so he said it will have a big impact on the community.
“So we need to make sure, as part of the planning of our design and construction, we take all this into consideration in order to … reduce or minimize the risk to the community and to the other stakeholders,” he said.
He said the timeline is tentatively three to five years, but Yammine said it could be longer depending on the planning phase and scope of work.
Record-breaking water levels and flooding
He said the causeway is “quite low,” but they don’t have a major concern right now.
“However, climate change has been changing. The environment has been changing rapidly. We see more frequent events happening. We see water rising,” said Yammine. “So we need to prepare [ourselves], we need to make sure this infrastructure is resilient.”
This $30 million project will also include a new pumping station for drainage of the forebay during high-tide, raising of the berms to protect the Lancaster Wastewater Treatment Facility from flooding, replacing and raising of the ultraviolet disinfection system at the Millidgeville Wastewater Treatment Facility and incorporating additional flood protection measures in the Lower Cove sewer system.
The pumping station and raising of the Courtenay Bay Causeway will be funded through a $6.9 million contribution from the federal government, said Wayne Long, the MP for Saint John–Rothesay.
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He said upgrades like these are vital and “becoming part of the norm.”
“In 2018 and 2019, we faced record-breaking water levels [and] flooding, and most recently we saw the devastation brought by Hurricane Fiona across most of Atlantic Canada,” said Long.
“Today’s announcement ensures that Saint John is better protected from the impacts of climate change and its effects for years to come.”
This story was originally published in CBC News on Dec. 2, 2022.
Hannah Rudderham Portfolio 