Arctic seismic tests face legal challenge
A Nunavut Inuit organization is taking federal scientists to court in an attempt to stop them from conducting seismic tests for potential oil and gas resources in Lancaster Sound.
The Qikiqtani Inuit Association says it will file a court injunction with the Nunavut Court of Justice on Wednesday, asking the court to block the Geological Survey of Canada — which is part of Natural Resources Canada — from starting its Eastern Canadian Arctic Seismic Experiment this month.
The Inuit association, which represents Inuit in Nunavut's Baffin region, has opposed the seismic project on the grounds that it could potentially harm marine wildlife in Lancaster Sound.
In a release Tuesday, association officials said they have announced their legal intentions to federal Natural Resources Minister Christian Paradis, as well as to Nunavut Environment Minister Daniel Shewchuk.
Officials with the Nunavut Court of Justice said the Qikiqtani Inuit Association's injunction bid will be reviewed when received and a hearing could be scheduled shortly thereafter.
Using sound waves
The Eastern Canadian Arctic Seismic Experiment, set to begin in August and run until mid-October, would use sound waves to determine what exists underwater in Lancaster Sound and several other eastern Arctic waterways.
Meanwhile, the federal government has also been studying a proposal to designate Lancaster Sound — home to bowhead whales, narwhal, seabirds and other marine species — as a national marine conservation area.
But the Qikiqtani Inuit Association and residents in High Arctic communities have raised concerns that the seismic tests could disrupt marine animals' migration patterns.
Some residents have also worried that the tests could lead to future oil and gas exploration in what they say is an ecologically sensitive area.
The federal project was recently given a research licence by the Nunavut Research Institute, which has said it is confident the seismic tests will not pose a significant threat to wildlife.