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First Nation chiefs look to block new N.B. forestry strategy

Laura Brown/Global News

FREDERICTON – Aboriginal leaders in New Brunswick are asking for a court-imposed injunction on the provincial government’s new 10-year forestry strategy.

The Assembly of First Nations Chiefs in New Brunswick filed the notice of motion in the Court of Queen’s Bench, calling the changes unsustainable.

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New Brunswick announced in March it was raising its softwood lumber caps, allowing the forestry industry to harvest 660,000 more cubic metres of wood per year – a more than 20-per-cent increase from existing levels.

Natural Resources Minister Paul Robichaud said at the time the move would make the industry more competitive and create hundreds of new jobs in the province.

Native leaders oppose the change, arguing the new strategy will cause irreversible harm to New Brunswick’s environment.

They are asking that the court put the strategy on hold until their concerns are addressed.

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