Federal Court: Peter Kent

Melissa Gorrie Dept: "We've really tried to move this as fast as we can to get it into the court system, because we realize if we don't act now, there won't be any birds left once it actually gets to a hearing," said Melissa Gorrie, a lawyer for Ecojustice, which filed an application Tuesday in Federal Court on behalf of an environmental coalition, according to Winnipeg Free Press. Coalition members are now asking a Federal Court to force Kent to issue that order and to block any further development on grouse habitat over the objections of provincial governments and eDMONTON - Environmentalists who have taken Ottawa to court over what they call its failure to protect the vanishing sage grouse hope their case will be heard before the distinctive southern prairie bird disappears from Alberta. Last fall, a similar coalition told federal Environment Minister Peter Kent that it planned legal action if he didn't issue an emergency protection order for the birds as required by the Species At Risk Act. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.