Lantz floats idea of a tunnel connecting P.E.I. and Nova Scotia

Rob Lantz says he wants to "dream big," and one of those dreams appears to be a tunnel connecting Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia.

The topic came up during the second of three P.E.I. Progressive Conservative Party leadership forums on Jan. 22 in Three Rivers.

The two leadership candidates, Lantz and Mark Ledwell, briefly debated the feasibility of such a tunnel.

“That might sound outlandish,” Lantz said during the forum before citing the Faroe Islands — an archipelago in the North Atlantic comprised of 18 volcanic islands connected partially by a series of subsea tunnels.

“This is an island nation of ... 57,000 people and they’ve got 17 kilometres of underground tunnels connecting these islands," Lantz said. "It’s technology that can be done.”

Ledwell was quick to shoot the idea down.

“Don’t talk to me about unrealistic promises," he said during the forum. "Please don’t do that.”

Lantz shot back: “You've got to dream big, folks.”

The topic resurfaced Wednesday when the two candidates appeared on CBC's Island Morning. 

“It’s something that was brought to my attention. It’s something that’s been talked about seriously,” Lantz said. “Look at the money we throw at the ferry year over year over year. There comes a point where the tunnel technology becomes cost-effective.”

When Lantz again brought up the Faroe Islands, Island Morning host Mitch Cormier pointed out that those islands are made up largely of volcanic rock, while P.E.I. is “a sandbar.”

Lantz referred to the "nation-building projects" that Prime Minister Mark Carney asked provinces to pitch in the wake of his election win last year.

“When we were asked to be very bold with nation-building projects, we put that [tunnel] forward,” Lantz said. “We’re not advancing at this time, but I know it gets a lot of people’s attention.”