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Supreme Court will not hear B.C. groups’ Trans Mountain pipeline expansion appeal cases

As usual, the Supreme Court did not give any reasons for its decision
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Pipe for the Trans Mountain pipeline is unloaded in Edson, Alta., Tuesday, June 18, 2019. The Trans Mountain pipeline expansion has cleared another legal hurdle. The Supreme Court of Canada has dismissed five leaves to appeal mounted by environment and Indigenous groups, all of which wanted the court to hear arguments about whether cabinet’s decision to approve the pipeline violated the Species at Risk Act due to fears the project would harm the highly endangered southern resident killer whales. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

The Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project has cleared another legal hurdle.

The Supreme Court of Canada has decided not to hear five challenges from environment and Indigenous groups from British Columbia.

Some had wanted the top court to consider whether the Liberal cabinet violated the Species at Risk Act when it decided to approve the pipeline expansion a second time in June 2019, arguing the project would harm the highly endangered southern resident killer whales.

The Federal Court of Appeal had overturned cabinet’s first approval in 2018, citing insufficient consultation with Indigenous Peoples and a failure to take the impacts on marine animals into account.

The Federal Court of Appeal heard — dismissed last month — appeals from Indigenous communities about whether there had been enough consultation, but had declined to hear arguments from the environment groups.

As usual, the Supreme Court did not give any reasons for its decision.

VIDEO: Ottawa launches consultations on Indigenous ownership of Trans Mountain pipeline

The Canadian Press


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