Your neighbour’s new toll booth is coming
Good morning from the Fundy shore — the tide's turning, and so is New Brunswick. Let's get into it.
I'll tell you what, Mark Carney is *not* happy with New Brunswick's plan to put a toll on the highway right at the Nova Scotia border. And to be fair, I get it. We talk a big game about breaking down trade barriers between provinces, right? But then we go and float an idea that's basically a big, shiny, expensive barrier for anyone trying to pop over to Sackville or Moncton from Halifax. It’s like saying "come on in, but leave your wallet at the door, eh?"
### The Proposed Toll
* **Location:** Right at the New Brunswick-Nova Scotia border on the Trans-Canada Highway. * **Purpose:** To generate revenue for infrastructure projects within New Brunswick. * **Criticism:** Mark Carney argues it creates an unnecessary interprovincial trade barrier.
This isn't just some abstract economic debate, either. Think about the folks in Saint John who run small businesses, shipping goods to Halifax or even just taking the family for a weekend down the South Shore. Every extra dollar spent on a toll is a dollar not going to gas, or groceries, or maybe a fancy coffee from that spot uptown near the City Market. And for our friends in Nova Scotia? They're looking at potentially paying to come visit us, whether they're heading to Fredericton for the Boyce Farmers Market or just coming to see the Reversing Falls. It adds up, and it makes you wonder if it’s really worth it in the long run for New Brunswick's overall economy. We're trying to grow our economy by 10 per cent, right? Maybe don't start by making it harder to get here.
This whole thing has the potential to make things a bit more complicated for everyone. It’s one thing to talk about big economic policy, but when it affects your commute, or your weekend trip to the Valley, or your ability to visit family across the line, that's when it gets real for people living here along the Fundy coast.
Caleb Duguay-Firth, MiTL Sports Desk, Saint John.
Yeah, the Morning Wire crew really dug into this one – catch their take live at mornings.live.