EDMONTON—An Alberta First Nation that’s suing the province and federal government is asking a court to force them to pay all trial expenses upfront to try to stop them from ragging the puck on the lawsuit. “If the Crown has to contribute to funding the litigation, they’re going to want to find the most efficient and quickest way possible,” said Karey Brooks, lawyer for the Beaver Lake Cree, who live about 100 kilometres north of Edmonton near La La Biche. “Right now, the incentive is the other way.”The First Nation has filed a request — known as an application for advance costs — for the two levels of government to front all of its legal costs. In 2008, the Beaver Lake Cree filed a lawsuit against Alberta and Ottawa alleging that so much development had been permitted on their land that it had rendered their right to traditional activities meaningless.

Source: thestar April 29, 2018 14:15 UTC