Temporary stay granted

The following is the statement issued by APPEC’s Orville Walsh following the decision by the White Pines Tribunal to temporarily stop all work on the site.
Late on Friday the Environmental Review Tribunal granted a temporary stay of WPD’s Renewable Energy Approval (REA). As a result of the stay all construction work at the project site has been brought to a halt.
This long-awaited decision is the outcome of a tremendous effort by APPEC’s legal counsel Eric Gillespie and Priya Vittal, who have worked tirelessly around the clock since Wednesday when the Tribunal issued its reasons related to our previous stay motion.

In giving its reasons the Tribunal indicated that a further motion could be brought to the Tribunal should new evidence become available. Thanks to the efforts of many individuals and above all our legal counsel, this new evidence was submitted this morning in the form of photographs showing the level of destruction, an affidavit from a Blanding’s turtle expert that turtles are out of hibernation and moving across the project, and letters from local and national groups including the Canadian Wildlife Federation.

We have many to thank for this welcome news including those who attended the Court of Appeal hearing in Toronto on Wednesday. The concern and public engagement left an impression which may have reached out past the courtroom.

The Tribunal will schedule a written hearing at a later date to decide on the merits of a more permanent stay.

Regards,
Orville Walsh
President, APPEC