I agree with the right-wing nut
Charles Cirtwill, of the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies (AIMS):
"I’m increasingly coming to the view that a win for the gateway file, at least for the province of Nova Scotia, represents a twinning of the highway from New Glasgow to the Strait," he said. "While I can see the political benefits of that, I’m not entirely sure what the trade benefits are."
The "Gateway" is the absurd idea that Halifax is going to become some sort of megaport, a 21st century New York City, the trans-shipment point between China and the American midwest.
AIMS itself is the primary source for this sillyness, as it pumps out about a million dollars worth of gateway propaganda every year. The goal all along was to get politicians excited about it, and here they are.
AIMS would prefer that the pols get behind the idea by spending a bunch of money on a super highway in New Brunswick (they want at least four lanes from Halifax to Buffalo, New York-- there are already four lanes from Halifax to the provincial line) but why should any self-respecting politician advocate spending tax money outside his own district?
So instead, Rodney and company are sputtering still more nonsense about Canso being the next Halifax. That gives them justification to four-lane the 104 from Truro, past Antigonish and on up to Cape Breton. AIMS is quite correct that this is a completely unneeded project.
But why couldn't the smart guys at AIMS foresee that this is what politicians do -- pork up anything that come their way?
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