Feds appeal injunction on Northwest Territories resources lawsuit

YELLOWKNIFE – The federal government is appealing an injunction blocking Ottawa’s attempt to centralize control over resource development in the Northwest Territories.

Earlier this month, a judge in the Northwest Territories granted an injunction that prevented Ottawa from collapsing local oversight boards into one agency led by a federal appointee.

That injunction, which blocked the change until a lawsuit on the issue could be heard, has now been appealed.

One of the lawyers for an aboriginal group opposing the federal plans says the appeal isn’t likely to be heard until the fall.

Two different northern First Nations are suing the Harper government over its plans, saying they break promises made in treaties and self-government agreements.