Land and Water BC has decided to allow a wind farm company to explore a large area of Hecate Strait, despite the objections of the Council of the Haida Nation.
Jim McGregor, manager at the Smithers field office of Land and Water BC, said he has given Nai Kun Wind Development Inc. a temporary investigative permit, which will allow the company to test the seabed to find out whether the area is suitable for the huge wind farm it wants to construct.
The request was strongly opposed by the Council of the Haida Nation, which sent a letter to Land and Water BC in January outlining its concerns about the lack of consultation and pointing out that the area is subject to the Haida title case filed in BC Supreme Court.
The Area A Crab Association, the Delkatla Sanctuary Society, and the Village of Masset also had questions about the company's plans.
But Mr. McGregor said the CHN's concerns will be dealt with at the next stage of permit approval. The investigative permit simply allows the company to explore the area, not construct anything, he said.
"It could be they will come back and say there is nothing suitable," Mr. McGregor said, in which case the wind farm project would not go ahead anyway.