A First Nations group in British Columbia has failed to gain a court injunction to block a C$970m forestry deal between Weyerhaeuser and Brascan Corporation.
The province’s supreme court rejected the Hupacasath First Nation’s application to stop the sale of forestland, mills and timber rights to Brascan. The sale includes 168,120 acres of private land already the subject of a lawsuit by the group.
The Hupacasath claimed the sale could adversely affect the existing lawsuit, which is aimed at overturning provincial forests minister Mike de Jong’s decision to remove the private land from a tree farm licence. The removal means the landowner is not required to consult with the group.
Justice Carol Ross admitted the sale could harm the Hupacasath’s interests but said there is an overriding need for business certainty.
