"PANEL RECOMMENDATIONS OUTRAGE INNU"
The Environmental Assessment Panel's recommendations on the future of
military low-level flight training have outraged the Innu Nation. "We will
continue to oppose the flights", stated Innu Nation President Peter
Penashue. "The Panel's recommendations require no real accommodations on
the part of DND, and will substantially increase the impacts of the flights
on Innu people. Once again, aboriginal rights take a back seat to economic
interests."
"The Panel's recommendations are based on economic, not environmental
considerations. To recommend an increase in the number of flights while
recognizing that there is very little information available on the impacts
is completely irresponsible", stated Innu Nation President Peter Penashue.
"They must have thought that EIS means 'Economic Impact Statement', not
'Environmental Impact Statement'."
The Panel report was favourable to the Department of National Defence,
recommending an increase in the number of flights to a maximum of 18,000
per year and a re-configured training area, which will concentrate the
flights over land used by Innu from Sheshatshiu and the Quebec North Shore.
The Panel recommendations also propose the creation of a Institute to study
the impacts of the project and recommend appropriate mitigation, the
establishment of a caribou management board, and the early settlement of
land rights.
"The Panel recognized that they couldn't do their job because there was
very little baseline data or scientific evidence on the impacts of
low-level flight training. This is because after 8 years and $16.3 million
dollars, DND couldn't or wouldn't collect the data or produce the studies
that would have allowed the Panel to actually assess the impacts", said
Penashue. "The proposed Institute is supposed to do what DND should have
done during the environmental review: provide meaningful research and
effective avoidance measures."
Last July, the Innu released a critique of DND's EIS which identified over
130 deficiencies in the report. When the Panel refused to require DND to
complete the studies which would allow the environmental impacts of the
project to be adequately assessed and announced that public hearings would
proceed, despite huge gaps in the research, the Innu boycotted the
hearings.
"Innu have thousands of years of accumulated experience on the land-a real
baseline-and our elders have noticed a number of serious effects: on the
caribou, other wildlife, and on our quality of life in the country", said
Penashue. "We know that there are impacts, because we have all been
affected by the flights."
"The Panel came through with a rubber-stamp of the project for DND. We only
hope that Cabinet will not do the same. The Innu people will continue their
struggle for an end to the flights and for a recognition of our rights!",
concluded Penashue.
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FOR INFORMATION: PETER PENASHUE (709) 497-8398
Larry Innes internet: es051322@orion.yorku.ca (direct to me)
innu@web.apc.org (general to Innu Nation)
Environmental Advisor
Innu Nation phone: (709) 497-8398
PO Box 119 fax: (709) 497-8396
Sheshatshiu, Nitassinan (Labrador)
via Canada A0P 1M0
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