Atlantica concept dismissed as ‘myth’: policy group

HALIFAX — The concept of a mega trade and transportation corridor in Atlantic Canada and Maritime U.S. is being written off by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, a leftwing think tank that describes itself as having a “progressive” point of view.

In a study released this week, the CCPA said the so-called Atlantica concept is a “myth” and a “deeply flawed” one at that.

The Atlantica agenda, advocated by Atlantic Chambers of Commerce and free market think tanks, attempts to look at the possibility of a harmonized economic hub and trade corridor extending from the Port of Halifax through New Brunswick and Maine to Ontario, Quebec, and New England markets.

The CCPA report, titled “Atlantica: Myths and Realities” concludes that Atlantica is not about enhancing trade within the region. “It is about convincing Atlantic Canadians that the road to prosperity lies in becoming a conduit for Asian goods headed to the American ‘heartland’ and in accelerating energy exports to the U.S.,” writes the study’s author, CCPA senior researcher Scott Sinclair.

Sinclair says Atlantica will turn the port of Halifax “into the gateway for a high-volume roadway along which ‘truck trains’ would haul goods to the U.S. Mid-west” — a strategy that ignores current realities such as increasing capacity in west coast ports, plans to expand the Panama Canal by 2015, and heightened security at the U.S. border.

The study claims Atlantic Canadians would benefit little from the strategy and increased highway spending “would absorb public funds that could otherwise be used for more diversified infrastructure investments, while increased heavy-truck traffic would make the region’s roads less safe and harm the environment.”

The goal for proponents of the plan, claims the study, is to export the region’s oil and gas as rapidly as possible “on terms that favor the energy industry.”

“The common thread in the Atlantica agenda is a fierce commitment to deregulation, whether by relaxing road safety rules to allow truck trains or by advocating a hands-off approach to the energy sector.”