First Nation in Manitoba says province, logging company failed to consult
A First Nation in Manitoba says it has not been properly included in sustainable forest management practices and is asking for a judicial review into commercial logging in a provincial park.
Minegoziibe Anishinabe, also known as Pine Creek First Nation, is asking Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench to quash the government's decision to extend a timber-cutting licence to Louisiana-Pacific Canada.
"Manitoba did not consult with Pine Creek before authorizing Louisiana-Pacific to continue logging in the Duck Mountain Park forest and surrounding areas," said Jeremy McKay, a policy analyst for the community.
The U.S.-based building company submitted a 20-year forest management plan in 2006 to obtain logging rights for an area in Duck Mountain Provincial Park near the Saskatchewan boundary.
A notice of application filed Tuesday in court alleges the province extended the current licence last month without consulting the First Nation.
Pine Creek says it wasn't consulted on two previous extensions either.
Chief Derek Nepinak said the community is not opposed to logging in the area. But it is concerned it's not being done in a sustainable way and wants to be included in conversations about it.
"What we believe in is sustainable forestry management. We can't say for certain whether that's been happening on Duck Mountain because we haven'tbeen party to the conversations," Nepinak said during an online news conference.
"Louisiana-Pacific has never come forward and shared the detailed information about what kind of sustainable forestry initiatives they've put in place from year to year."
Community leaders have brought their concerns to Louisiana-Pacific, but conversations have not netted "tangible results," he added.
The First Nation says current practices have affected the moose population in the area as well as access to essential medicines.
"During that time we have seen a steady decline in the population ... as moose have moved on into other geographies. That has impacted our ability to provide a stable food source on the tables, in the kitchens in our homes and our community," said Nepinak.
McKay said the community raised its concerns with the province before the last extension and at that time was told there wouldn't be a decision before the end of last year.
A few days later, authorization was granted to issue an extension until the end of 2022, but the community was unaware that had happened, the review application says.
The province said it was unable to comment as the matter is before the courts.
The company said in a statement it remains committed to working with First Nations about its operations.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 25, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Weather alerts issued for 7 provinces, 1 territory
Warnings of up to 60 millimetres of rain and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces and one territory ahead of the Easter weekend.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Luxury cruise line selling world cruise suite for US$1.7 million
Luxury operator Regent Seven Seas Cruises is raising their price tag to eye-watering levels, with a suite on an upcoming 140-day world voyage costing US$1.7 million.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
A Filipino villager is nailed to a cross for the 35th time on Good Friday to pray for world peace
A Filipino villager has been nailed to a wooden cross for the 35th time to reenact Jesus Christ’s suffering in a brutal Good Friday tradition he said he would devote to pray for peace in Ukraine, Gaza and the disputed South China Sea.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
'Oppenheimer' finally premieres in Japan to mixed reactions and high emotions
'Oppenheimer' finally premiered Friday in the nation where two cities were obliterated 79 years ago by the nuclear weapons invented by the American scientist who was the subject of the Oscar-winning film. Japanese filmgoers' reactions understandably were mixed and highly emotional.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.