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Seismic blasting postponed
Challenge of energy board decision going to court in November

Stewart Burnett
Northern News Services
Monday, April 11, 2016

KANGIQTUGAAPIK/CLYDE RIVER
Exploratory seismic blasting will not be taking place in Baffin Bay and Davis Strait this year after the group of companies planning to conduct the surveys announced it is suspending activities for the year, according to a news release from Greenpeace Canada.

The project has faced criticism and legal battles by Greenpeace, the hamlet Clyde River, the Hunters and Trappers Organization of Clyde River and the hamlet's former mayor Jerry Natanine.

Last year, Clyde River lost its case with the Federal Court of Appeal to block the testing. Earlier this year, it was granted leave to appeal the case to the Supreme Court of Canada, which has granted a hearing date of Nov. 30.

Opponents in the case include seismic testing proponents TGS Nopec, Geophysical Company, and MultiKlient Invest, plus the National Energy Board, and the Attorney General of Canada.

Greenpeace Arctic campaigner Farrah Khan applauded the delay in testing for this year.

"We are relieved to hear that seismic companies will not enter Inuit waters this year to threaten Arctic marine life and further exacerbate food insecurity in the North," she stated in a news release. "Baffin Island Inuit did not consent to this project and we will continue to support them in their fight until their voices are heard and their rights are respected."

The applicants in the court case argue that the five-year seismic project was approved without adequate consultation or consent from affected communities in the North Baffin region, which is in violation of their rights under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

"Inuit depend on our animals for our food, livelihoods and our culture. Scientists are telling us that seismic blasting can harm animals and disrupt their migration patterns. Inuit's own experiences with seismic blasting in the past tell us the same thing," Natanine stated in the Greenpeace news release.

The consortium sent an e-mail to Clyde River's legal counsel, Nader Hasan, that it will suspend activities for 2016.

"This is an important development. Every day that seismic testing does not happen is another day that Arctic wildlife survives. And another day where the people of Nunavut don't have to worry about the loss of an important food source and their way of life," Hasan stated.

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