"Groups launch appeal in case challenging fed’s approval of Bay du Nord", 18 Sep 2023

Environmental and Indigenous groups are continuing their legal challenge of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change’s decision to approve Bay du Nord after the Federal Court dismissed their case in June.  

On Friday, Ecojustice filed an appeal to the Federal Court of Appeal on behalf of Sierra Club Canada Foundation and Mi’gmawe’l Tplu’taqnn Incorporated (MTI)...

Bay du Nord is a $16-billion oil and gas megaproject proposed off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador. The project has been mired in controversy since it was first approved by the Liberal government in April 2022...

Over its lifetime, Bay du Nord is expected to produce up to one billion barrels of oil, which in turn will generate about 400 million tonnes of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions...

In May, Equinor (the Norwegian company behind Bay du Nord) said it was pausing the project for three-years “in the face of challenging market conditions.” Then, in August, the company announced it would spend roughly $100 million on drilling exploration in the Flemish Pass, which could expand Bay du Nord even further and push the project passed the one-billion-barrel mark...

Ian Miron, lawyer, Ecojustice said... “We’re headed back to court to ensure this megaproject won’t proceed before the full scope of its impacts have been assessed, including the emissions this project will export overseas. The government must also fulfill its constitutional duty to consult with First Nations communities who will be directly affected if this project moves forward...” 

The federal government neglected to meaningfully consult with affected First Nations communities when assessing the impacts of Bay du Nord. This included rushed timelines, inadequate funding, and lack of notification and opportunities to be involved at key junctures in the environmental assessment process...