Two aboriginal bands are taking the Alberta Energy Regulator to court for denying them the right to speak at hearings into an oilsands expansion.
The Beaver Lake Cree Nation and the Whitefish Lake First Nation say it was for hearings of CNRL’s Kirby expansion project that would be near their traditional lands.
The area is northeast of Lac La Biche and the bands say it would affect their hunting and fishing as well as hurt the caribou population.
AER ruled they wouldn’t be directly affected by the 85-thousand barrel per day SAG-D project.
In the end, the regulator turned down all applications to speak and canned the hearings.
