Labrador Inuit Association v. Newfoundland (Minister of Environment and Labour), 1997 CanLII 16040 (NL SCTD)
This case was heard in the Supreme Court of Newfoundland (Trial Division).
In the midst of an environmental assessment process that had been designed to review proposed mining and milling operations at Voisey’s Bay, the Province of Newfoundland decided to exempt certain “support works”—which included the construction of a temporary access road and airstrip—from the Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) that had been created to facilitate the environmental review. The Labrador Inuit Association and Innu Nation applied for judicial review of the Minister’s decision to exempt the “support works” from the MOU, and among other things asked the Court to declare that the access road and airstrip needed to be assessed under the environmental assessment process described in the MOU.
After considering the issues, the Court held that the Minister had not erred in excluding the “support works” from the MOU, and that the Minister’s conduct throughout the process was fair. The Court found no reason to interfere with the Minister’s decision in any way, and it dismissed both applications for judicial review.
To read related decisions, go to Labrador Inuit Association v. Newfoundland (Minister of Environment and Labour), 1997 CanLII 16007 (NL SCTD) and Labrador Inuit Association v. Newfoundland (Minister of Environment and Labour), 1997 CanLII 14612 (NL CA).
View the Decision on CanLII: https://www.canlii.org/en/nl/nlsctd/doc/1997/1997canlii16040/1997canlii16040.html
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