Bilcon to sue Canada
Quarry company wants $188 million
Bilcon of Delaware filed a notice of intent today to sue the Canadian government for $188 million.
Bilcon is upset that the Canadian government denied approval of their proposed 120-hectare quarry project on White’s Point on Digby Neck. The Clayton family, owners of Bilcon, are claiming under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that Canada treated them unfairly.
"For five and a half years, the Clayton family played by all the rules." said Barry Appleton, the Claytons’ lawyer. "But the governments of Canada and Nova Scotia kept changing the rules, and then blindly followed the biased, flawed recommendations of an environmental panel."
The Claytons claim in their notice of intent that Canada subjected Bilcon to “treatment far less favourable than that accorded to similar Canadian-owned investments.”
"Honest business people who are invited to do business in Canada expect
to be treated fairly when they come." said Appleton. "The NAFTA is designed to
ensure they have a level playing field in Canada. The NAFTA entitles the
Claytons to be treated in an even-handed way when they are investing in
Canada."
The NAFTA entitles companies to seek compensation for unfair, discriminatory, or unequal treatment by government measures.
Now that Bilcon has filed a notice of intent to make a claim under NAFTA, Bilcon must wait 90 days before filing its formal complaint.
