BLG represented the Atikamekw d'Opitciwan in obtaining a safeguard order from the Superior Court of Québec, suspending forestry operations on the ancestral territory of the Weizineau family of Opitciwan until September 15, 2017.
The Court determined that the Québec government had not adequately consulted Opitciwan and the Weizineau family before preparing a special development plan and issuing authorization for the forestry operations, and therefore granted the suspension of all work until September 15, 2017 to allow the government to consult with Opitciwan and the Weizineau family on the logging plans while ensuring protection of the last portion of mature forest in the territory of the Weizineau family.
Opitciwan is a First Nations part of the Atikamekw Nation, located on the North Shore of the Gouin Reservoir in Northern Québec.
BLG represented the petitioners "Les Atikamekw d'Opitciwan" and "Mr. Denis Weizineau" with a team led by Mark Phillips that included Olivier Nguyen and Maxime Lemoyne.