Mount Carleton snowmobile plan remains secret after meeting

The details of a meeting among three First Nations chiefs and the tourism minister about plans for development at Mount Carleton Provincial Park remainsecret, as a June court date for a judicial review of the proposalapproaches.

The meeting, which occurred April 18 in Fredericton, involved the chiefs ofthe Kingsclear, Oromocto and Tobique First Nations and Tourism Minister Bill Fraser.

It was about a government announcement last July that the province willinvest in a snowmobile grooming hub and open 343 kilometresof trails tosnowmobiles in what its website calls the "pristine wilderness"of MountCarleton Park.

Two parties opposed to the development MaliseetGrand Council ChiefRonTremblayand Jean-Louis Deveau, co-founder of The Friends of Carleton Park group and a former park managerfiled for a judicial review of theplans at the Court of Queens Bench in Moncton.

• Mount Carleton snowmobile fight heads to court
• Mount Carleton snowmobile plan a 'safety upgrade':Bill Fraser

Deveauargues the government's plans reach beyond its authority, goagainst its own rules found in the Parks Act, ignoreMaliseettreaty rights in an area considered traditional land, and that noenvironmental assessment was done about the effects of the changes.

Tremblay and Deveau say they were not aware of the meeting.

Jason Hoyt, communications officer for Fraser, told CBC News in an email that it was"a private meeting and out of respect for the consultation processminister Fraser cannot comment at this time."

None of the chiefs who attended the meeting responded to inquiries.

Both Tremblay and Deveau expressed their concern thatwork will resume on the snowmobile hub before the June court date. Theydeclined further comment on advice of their lawyer.

In an affidavit, Deveau writes that Kouchibouguac National Park has cut thenumber of snowmobile trails to five kilometresfrom 25 kilometres because of "significantdamage"to park ecosystems.

'Government has things completely backwards'

NDP Leader Dominic Cardy said Mount Carleton is intended to be a wilderness park.

"This provincialgovernment has things completely backwards," saidCardy.

"There are two trail machines that sat idle in Mount Carleton all winterbecause the government signed deals with the refueling stations. Theysigned the deal, put the resources in placeand then didn't actually do it,just stopped.

"We don't know why they stopped, just that we are waiting forthe environmental report that should have been done before any decisionwas made."

• New snowmobile fueling station, 343 km in new trails planned
• Ex-Mount Carleton manager says keep snowmobiles off it

Roberta Clowater, theexecutive director of Canadian Parks and WildernessSociety, said she is also keeping an eye on the dispute.

Clowater saidshe spoke with Andrew Foster, the director of operations at Tourism and Parks,in November.

"He told me an environmental report was being done, and that it should beready in February," she said.

On hearing about the meeting, she contacted the department who repliedthey now want to set up a meeting this week for her with the minister and an environmental consultant.

Susan Mulherin, the president of The Friends of Mount Carleton Park, said her group received an email from Fraser'soffice to set up a meeting with hergroup.

Mulherin said the email stated the department had recently met with First Nations to share the findings of an archaeology study and an environmental study, and also provided updates on other efforts planned for the coming year.

The judicial review is slated for June 7in Moncton.