Arctic seismic tests face legal challenge

A Nunavut Inuit organization is taking federal scientiststo court in an attemptto stop them from conducting seismic tests for potential oil and gas resources in Lancaster Sound.

The Qikiqtani Inuit Association says it will file a court injunction with the Nunavut Court of Justice on Wednesday, asking the court toblockthe Geological Survey of Canada which is part of Natural Resources Canada from starting its Eastern Canadian Arctic Seismic Experiment this month.

TheInuit association, which represents Inuit in Nunavut's Baffin region, has opposed the seismic project on the grounds that it could potentially harm marine wildlife in Lancaster Sound.

In a release Tuesday,association officials said they have announcedtheir legal intentions to federal Natural Resources Minister Christian Paradis, as well as to Nunavut Environment Minister Daniel Shewchuk.

Officials with the Nunavut Court of Justice saidthe Qikiqtani Inuit Association's injunction bid will be reviewed when received and a hearing could be scheduled shortly thereafter.

Using sound waves

The Eastern Canadian Arctic Seismic Experiment,set to begin in August and run until mid-October, wouldusesound wavesto determine what exists underwater in Lancaster Sound and several other eastern Arctic waterways.

Meanwhile, the federal government has also been studying a proposal to designate Lancaster Sound home to bowhead whales, narwhal, seabirds and other marine species as a national marine conservation area.

But the Qikiqtani Inuit Association andresidents in High Arctic communities have raised concerns that the seismic tests could disrupt marine animals' migration patterns.

Some residents have also worried that the tests could lead to future oil and gas exploration in what they say is an ecologically sensitive area.

The federal project was recently given a research licence by the Nunavut Research Institute, which has said it isconfident the seismic testswill not pose a significant threat to wildlife.