Canadian Court Overturns Approval of Enbridge Oil Pipeline

by Reuters in Vancouver / The Guardian The federal court of appeal ruled in a 2-to-1 decision released on Thursday that the government had failed in its duty to consult with aboriginal groups on the project and sent the matter back to Justin Trudeau’s cabinet for a “prompt redetermination”. Canada’s former Conservative government in 2014 approved Northern Gateway, which would carry oil from the Alberta oil sands to a port in northern British Columbia for export. Its construction was subject to more than 200 conditions. As Canada’s election approaches, First Nations join environmental groups in an effort to prevent the building of the country’s largest proposed pipeline – poised to travel 700 miles through some of North America’s wildest landscapes. After the approval, numerous British Columbia aboriginal communities, along with environmental groups, filed lawsuits seeking to overturn the decision. In its 153-page judgment, the court determined that Canada’s consultation with aboriginal communities, also known as First Nations, was “brief, hurried and inadequate”. It said the government failed to grapple with their concerns and had not shown any intention to correct any errors or omissions in the original regulatory panel review. “Missing was a real and sustained effort to pursue meaningful […]