Sahtu Secretariat to sue Ottawa over N.W.T. superboard

The Sahtu Secretariat and the Sahtu Dene Council are planning to takethe federal government to court over the plan to mergeN.W.T.'s four regional land and water boards.

The boards are responsible for reviewing mining and oil and gas development proposals.The amendments to the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act to create one territorialsuperboard was part of the N.W.T. Devolution Act, which passed in March.

Regional land and water boards were part ofnegotiated land claims and self-government agreements.

Sahtu Secretariat chair Ethel Blondin- Andrewannounced the lawsuit Wednesday.

"We are doing it because we have played ball with the federal government right from Day 1," she said.

"We fought with them. We've argued with them. We've reasoned with them. We've co-operated with them. We made viable suggestions on what would work for us in the Sahtu region. And they indicated, no that's not going to work, and they never took one suggestion we made."

Blondin-Andrew says the Canadian government is not following its duty to consult and accommodate where possible or appropriate.

She says the court documents will be filed later this month.

TheTlichogovernment launched its own court challenge against the plan in May.