Toronto rally planned to support Nunavut seismic testing case, in court April 20

Opponents of seismic testing off the east coast of Baffin Island demonstrate last summer in Clyde River. Organizers are hoping to bring that rallying spirit to the Federal Court of Canada building in Toronto April 20 when the seismic testing case will finally be heard. (PHOTO COURTESY FIGHT AGAINST SEISMIC TESTING FACEBOOK SITE/AIMO PANILOO)

The people of Clyde River, including Mayor Jerry Natanine, are only days away from heading to court to try to overturn a decision allowing for seismic testing in Baffin Bay and Davis Strait and supporters are gearing up to show they stand with the people of North Baffin.

The Federal Court of Appeal is set to hear the case April 20 in Toronto.

After hearing submissions from both sides and intervenors, a panel of three judges will eventually rule on whether to uphold a National Energy Board (NEB) decision to allow a consortium of companies to conduct a five-year seismic testing program off the east coast of Baffin Island to search for oil and gas reserves buried in the sea bed.

Chantelle Bowers, the court’s executive director and general counsel, confirmed April 16 that those Toronto proceedings will be simulcast at the Nunavut Court of Justice in Iqaluit.

That means anyone in Iqaluit who wants to see the case unfold in real time can go to the NCJ’s Courtroom #2 on Monday, April 20 and watch the video simulcast, starting at 9:30 a.m. Bowers said technicians have tested the equipment and confirmed that it’s functioning and ready to go.

Meantime, events have been planned to both inform the Toronto public about the case and get them to rally behind the cause.

Natanine, along with his legal counsel, Nader Hasan, and Warren Bernauer, a York University academic who specializes in the politics of energy extraction in Nunavut, will be holding a public information session at 6:30 p.m., April 16, at the United Steelworkers Hall, 25 Cecil St., in Toronto.

The event, which you can read about here, will be moderated by Wanda Nanibush, an Anishinaabe-kwe member of the Beausoleil First Nation.

It has been organized by something called the Clyde River Solidarity Network, “an alliance of advocacy organizations, formed in March 2015, to support the Inuit of Clyde River in their struggle against seismic surveys,” it says on the Facebook site.

That same alliance is organizing a public rally outside of the Federal Court of Canada, 180 Queen St. West, in Toronto, on the day the case is being heard — April 20, at noon.

You can find out about that event here.

“We request that members of the public who attend the demonstration remain peaceful, non-confrontational and relatively silent. We do not want to create a disturbance outside of the courthouse,” the Facebook site says.

“Confrontational actions and loud disturbances may reflect negatively upon the community of Clyde River and this is the last thing we want.”

The alliance is encouraging those who attend to show their support with signs and placards and even suggests possible slogans such as: “No Oil Drilling Without Inuit Consent,” and “I Support Inuit Rights.”

Greenpeace Canada and Amnesty International have both thrown their considerable global support behind the Clyde River seismic opponents and, on April 14, Idle No More Ontario publicly joined the fight as well.

As part of the Clyde River Solidarity Network, Idle No More Ontario is helping to organize the April 20 rally.

“There is anger that these surveys have been approved without sufficient studies, and that Inuit communities will not meaningfully benefit from the activity,” says a news release from Idle No More Ontario, echoing some of the legal arguments which will be presented to the federal court.

“Inuit from Clyde River insist that they were not meaningfully consulted on the proposal and that the suggestions of their Inuit organizations were ignored by the NEB.”

The Federal Court of Appeal agreed to speed up the hearing of the case because the seismic testing proponents are scheduled to begin the project as soon as the ice melts this summer.

Clyde River lawyer, Hasan, said if the Federal Court of Appeal is unable to deliver their decision before that time, he and his clients will consider applying for a temporary injunction to stop the seismic program launch while they await the legal outcome.