Land Use Planning In Far North At A Standstill

Land Use Planning In Far North At A Standstill

Monday, May 09, 2005 at 14:51

A deadlock between industry, government and Aboriginal groups in the Far North shows no sign of being settled soon.

The dispute is over the Athabasca Land Use Planning Process and how the land should be designated.

A spokesperson for the mining industry says they have concerns over how the plan would affect its ability to explore and develop certain pieces of land.

Environmental critics say they feel the mining industry is dragging its feet over anything that would compromise its ability to harvest minerals.

The government representative for the project, Kim Clark, says he isn’t sure right now when anything will be settled.

Clark adds the process is consensus-driven, and nothing will happen until everyone agrees on a few main issues.