Windsor aboiteau to remain closed, NS prime minister says as battle of words escalates with mayor of West Hants

The Nova Scotia government on Thursday renewed a third emergency order to close the Avon River aboiteau at the Windsor Causeway.

The order, which is valid for 14 days unless terminated in writing, was first issued on June 1 to protect the Windsor community and protect residents in the event of a fire.

The precautionary closed aboiteau effectively fills and maintains man-made Lake Pisiquid and Prime Minister Tim Houston suggested at a post-cabinet media briefing Thursday that it was irresponsible of the municipal government not to have taken the step to restore the lake years ago. to keep filled.

“You can draw your own conclusions, but concerns have certainly been raised with us about fires in the area, especially during the height of the wildfire season when fires were literally raging in this county,” Houston said when asked about the responsibility of West Mayor and alderman of the regional municipality of Hants.

“It was reported to us and once we understood the potential impact on public safety, it was a good idea for that lake to be full,” Houston said. “That lake will remain full.”

“That’s a good question,” said Houston when asked why he didn’t let the lake fill two years ago when his Progressive Conservative government took office following a majority victory in August 2021.

“It should have been (filled). I’ve had those discussions with the department about why it got to this stage before realizing the impact it had on the water supply. Now I know and now we know. We’re not letting that lake drain.

“The risk of wildfires may not be high right now, but it is still wildfire season. I don’t think there’s any point in deflating and filling it every time the risk changes. The lake remains full because it is in the interest of public safety.”

Houston referred to a significant fire in Windsor in 2016 that “destroyed an apartment building” and raised concerns about possible widespread damage in the city.

“Access to water was a concern of the firefighters at the time,” he said.

Houston criticized Mayor Abraham Zebian, who was elected the first mayor of the amalgamated municipality created on April 1, 2020, by the merger of the West Hants County Municipality and the City of Windsor.

“Certainly their mayor has a lot to say about this,” Houston said. “Where was the mayor two years ago? I think the mayor should be aware of that fire that took place in 2016. Sure, I’ve been made aware of it, and the impact and need for the water supply that lake provides. I won’t look away from that. Perhaps there are others who are willing to look away from it.

Zebian said it is disappointing that the prime minister has chosen to shift his responsibility onto others.

“I am truly disappointed that it has taken Mr. Houston two years to finally pay attention to my community’s struggles regarding the Avon River and the Highway 101 twinning project,” Zebian said. “This has been well expressed by both our municipality and our residents.”

Zebian said he cannot talk to the provincial government’s motivations and why they chose to take action now rather than listen to the community’s concerns of two years ago.

“Here at the municipal level, we rely on experts to help us make decisions, so when we speak to our fire department, we will ask them some pointed questions about are we protected and what do you need,” Zebian said.

“If you speak to a fire department, they will always tell you that more water is better than less water and that is their responsibility.”

Zebian said the local fire department is working with any situation they get.

“Decisions about the lake and the highway are made at the provincial and federal levels,” Zebian said. “We just have to make sure we can protect our residents as best we can, given what we’re getting.”

Zebian said there are two sides to any discussion and that there have been significant fires in the former town of Windsor and that water has been relied upon to fight that.

“Many residents feel relieved on that point. But there are different opinions here.”

Zebian said the water is an issue, but the highway twinning project has been discussed locally since 2015.

“As Prime Minister of Nova Scotian, he is charged with the safety not only of my community, but of the entire province and part of the Windsor Causeway and the Highway 101 twinning project. I never hear from them (provincial government) about it. Zebian said.

“It has become a death trap. There was another accident late last night or early this morning. There seems to be a lack of will to speed up construction and make it safer.”

Zebian said the prime minister has shown a “lack of empathy” for anyone traveling on the motorway every day, compounded by the government’s failure at Hants Community Hospital, where emergency rooms are regularly closed.

“It’s really concerning with the potential for accidents, the closure of that ER department. I hope our Prime Minister would be more interested in talking about that and finding a solution to that than deflecting responsibility.”

Both opposition leaders say the government may be abusing emergency powers by continuing to extend the order.

“We’ve seen how much impact emergency response powers can have on people’s lives during COVID,” said Liberal leader Zach Churchill. “We can’t set precedents for using emergency powers when there’s no emergency, because that’s a dangerous thing to do.”

NDP leader Claudia Chender called the lake issue “political expediency” at its worst.

“What we have heard is that a prime minister is trying to keep an electoral seat,” Chender said. “There are a lot of people in Windsor who would like to see water in that lake and it’s a divisive community issue.”

Chender said the prime minister had made it clear he wanted water in the lake long before the bushfires ravaged the province in May.

“Yet, in my memory, he never mentioned fire risk as a reason. To take advantage now, to abuse the emergency order powers to fill that lake is something all Nova Scotians should be concerned about because what will be the next emergency.

John Lohr, the minister responsible for the provincial Emergency Management Office and renewed emergency orders, said Thursday that Windsor’s water supply is not adequate in the event of a major fire and was not adequate in 2016.

The arguments for the fish passage, being blocked by the closed aboiteau, versus maintaining a healthy water level in the Pisiquid Lake created by a causeway, have tossed around since the causeway was built about 50 years ago.

The Federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) issued a ministerial order in 2021 to regulate gate operations to improve fish habitat and passage, but the Federal Department authorized the Lohr directive on June 1 as wildfires spiral out of control walked in different parts of Nova Scotia.

There have been calls for the provincial emergency order to be rescinded, including a request for judicial review of Lohr’s decision by commercial fisherman Darren Porter.

Judge Scott Norton will hear a motion on Tuesday accompanying Porter’s request to suspend the minister’s order.

A date for the underlying judicial review has yet to be determined.