HALIFAX - A government source says Nova Scotia will receive more than $800 million in a major windfall from its so-called Crown share dispute with Ottawa.
The amount is a calculation based on a final report by a panel that was set up to examine both sides in the dispute over a decades-old agreement on offshore resources.
Peter MacKay, the federal minister responsible for Nova Scotia, says the figure is "within the range" of what's in the final report, although he says the final amount is being calculated by Finance Department officials.
Nova Scotia Premier Rodney MacDonald has said the money -- other than $75 million committed to trust funds -- will go against the province's massive $12.4 billion debt.
The dispute over the Crown share dates back to 1986, when Ottawa promised Nova Scotia compensation for giving up its ownership interest in offshore resources.
The establishment of the panel was part of an agreement reached last October by MacDonald and Prime Minister Stephen Harper to settle a dispute over equalization.
