The groups allege the permits could allow exploratory drilling to take place in the biodiversity\u002Drich waters off the coast of B.C.
The suit, filed Tuesday in Federal Court by Ecojustice lawyers on behalf of World Wildlife Fund Canada and the David Suzuki Foundation, alleges the permits could allow oil drilling in ecologically sensitive areas, including the Scott Islands Protected Marine Area and the Hecate Strait/Queen Charlotte Sound Glass Sponge Reefs Marine Protected Area.
The permits — first issued in the 1960s — are held by multinational oil giants Chevron Canada Limited and Exxon Mobil for offshore oil and gas exploration in B.C., according to Ecojustice. They were set to expire, but Natural Resources Canada has indefinitely extended these permits.Article content There are about 50 other “sleeper” permits — also issued decades ago — still on the books, scattered across ecologically sensitive zones throughout the B.C. coast and in the Arctic, according to Ecojustice.
“The federal government has committed to protecting 25 per cent of its marine and coastal areas by 2025 — working toward 30 per cent by 2030. Keeping these expired permits active is out of step with Canada’s climate commitments and biodiversity protection goals,” said Miron, in a statement.For example, in the Scott Islands, the minister has a power to permit activities that might otherwise be forbidden, which could include exploratory drilling.
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