Image: Mowi / FIS

Ottawa fights lawsuit by fish farm giant Mowi over Discovery Islands closures

The following is an excerpt from an article published by Vancouver Sun:

Mowi wants compensation from taxpayers after Ottawa refuses to renew fish farm licences

The federal government is fighting back against a lawsuit filed by international aquaculture giant after Ottawa decided to close fish farms in B.C.’s Discovery Islands.

Mowi Canada West, a subsidiary of a Norwegian seafood company, filed in the B.C. Supreme Court in March seeking damages from the Canadian government and former fisheries ministers Bernadette Jordan and Joyce Murray.

Source: Mowi

"Mowi Canada West – British Columbia’s largest salmon producer – has made the difficult decision to permanently close its fish processing plant in Surrey, British Columbia (BC), Canada. This is a direct result of the Liberal Government’s decision on December 17th, 2020, to cancel salmon farming licenses in the Discovery Islands." Says Mowi in a press release.

The move follows a February decision by Murray confirming the region’s fish farm licences won’t be renewed, in order to protect wild juvenile Pacific salmon migrating through the area.

Jordan decided in late 2020 to phase out fish farms by July 2022, after the Discovery Islands was named an area of concern in a 2012 report by the Cohen Commission, which investigated the disappearance of Fraser River sockeye salmon.

Jordan cited consultations with First Nations as a key reason for the decision.

Despite court challenges that followed, Murray finalized the decision.

Mowi’s statement of claim accuses the former ministers of “misfeasance in public office,” negligence, expropriation stemming from unlawful conduct and a clear disregard for earlier prior Federal Court rulings, among other complaints.

None of the allegations or counterclaims have been proven in court. [Continues...]

Source: Vancouver Sun | Read the full article by clicking the link here

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