A new federal report says low-level military training flights over Labrador could rise to 15,000 a year from the current 7,000 to 8,000.
The Innu people have protested against the flights for years. But a federal environmental report has given its okay to the Defense Department’s plans to expand activities at the Canadian Forces Bay in Goose Bay. The report, released on April 21, says the number of jets involved in training flights can rise to 119 from the current 98.
The British, Dutch and German air forces use the flight-training area between April and October under a 10-year agreement that expires in 1996. The training is for low-level bombing attacks and was devised in response to the threat of a war with the Soviet Union, which no longer exists.
