The MLA for Cumberland North, Nova Scotia, is pursuing legal action to remove the toll from the Cobequid Pass.
There is a $4 charge for anyone out of province to travel along the 45km stretch of highway between Cumberland County and Colechester County.
Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin said she plans on getting a court order to determine whether the province has a legal duty to get rid of them and held a press conference outside the courthouse in Amherst.
“It is my opinion and the opinion of others that the laws for this highway state that the tolls are to be removed once the debt to build the highway has been paid,” said Smith-McCrossin. “Well, that debt was paid in 2021.”
She said the Cobequid Pass is a vital connection for those travelling between provinces and residents of Cumberland North yet, she said they have “created division” with the toll.
Before she took the step to get a court order, Smith-McCrossin said she wrote to Premier Tim Houston asking him to respect the law and remove the tolls.
“That did not happen,” explained Smith-McCrossin.
She said the courts exist to answer legal questions when “governments to refuse to act”, and the application is to determine whether a toll created for a specific purpose can continue indefinitely after the purpose has been fulfilled.
The topic came into discussion when a $4 toll on a highway in Aulac, New Brunswick was in their spring budget. The charge would apply to anyone out of province.
In May, Smith-McCrossin said she would be pushing to get the Cobequid tolls removed and was going to request at a meeting with New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt.
