By Elyse Skura
\nA remote Nunavut community heads to the Supreme Court of Canada today to argue a case which could literally set the ground rules for how Indigenous communities are consulted about development projects.<\/p>\n
Inuit in Clyde River say they weren’t properly consulted when the National Energy Board granted approval for an Norwegian-based consortium of company to conduct seismic tests in Baffin Bay and Davis Strait.<\/p>\n
“This case is really about the soul of Canada,” said Nader Hasan, the lawyer representing Inuit in Clyde River.<\/p>\n
“Are we going to be a nation that takes Indigenous and Inuit rights seriously? Or are we going to allow Indigenous rights to be reduced to a due diligence checklist for industry proponents to check off?”<\/p>\n
It’s been a long and difficult legal battle against opponents with deep pockets, says Hasan.<\/p>\n
Inuit argue the case puts 4,000-year-old traditions and their very lives at risk.<\/p>\n
The companies would use airguns to produce pulses of sound waves under the waters offshore from a number of Baffin Island communities.<\/p>\n
According to a project overview on the National Energy Board website, the sound created by the airguns “is estimated to be 230 decibels at a distance of one metre away, and will be repeated every 13 to 15 seconds, 24 hours a day while operating.”<\/p>\n
Inuit in Clyde River are concerned the sounds may be loud enough to scare away or deafen the marine mammals they rely on for food \u2014 a significant worry for a region where food insecurity is “a very serious problem.”<\/p>\n
In Nunavut, basic food items in grocery stores can cost up to three times higher than in the rest of Canada.<\/p>\n
The latest government statistics pegged the average cost in Nunavut of a one-kilogram bag of apples at $7.26 and a 2.5-kilogram bag of flour at $13.70.<\/p>\n
“It’s a threat to their livelihood,” said Hasan. “Obviously Inuit were concerned.”<\/p>\n
The consortium was granted a five-year approval to use the tests to search for underwater oil and gas deposits in 2014 \u2014 but has not done any yet.<\/p>\n
The Supreme Court will hear Clyde River’s case along with an appeal from the Chippewas of the Thames.<\/p>\n
The First Nation is also arguing the National Energy Board approved a development project without proper consultation \u2014 this time a partial reversal of a pipeline carrying heavy crude.<\/p>\n
“Both cases at their core are about the duty to consult and the crown’s obligation to respect Indigenous rights, Inuit rights,” said Hasan.<\/p>\n
“Quite literally, these cases will affect every single development project across the country.”<\/p>\n
The hearing is set to begin tomorrow morning in Ottawa at 9:30 a.m. ET.<\/p>\n
Source: \u00a0CBC News<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"