------------- Michigan billionaire Matty Moroun, owner of the existing bridge connecting Windsor to Detroit, is claiming damages from Ottawa in connection with Canada’s plan to help build a second bridge linking Ontario to Michigan at Detroit. Moroun, whose bridge company opposes the Canadian project, claims Canada’s handling of the pre-construction phase of the proposed new bridge has violated his firm’s right under NAFTA provisions to be treated no differently than a Canadian company. In an initial filing, Moroun’s company asked a NAFTA arbitration tribunal for $3.5 billion in damages from Ottawa. Canada’s experience with NAFTA investor protections has taken on a higher profile in the controversy over inclusion of a similar mechanism in the free-trade pact being finalized by Canada and the European Union. The Canada-EU deal has sparked concerns in Europe among political groups who see ISDS measures as a danger to governments’ ability to regulate on behalf of public safety, the environment, health and other priorities. “NAFTA’s investor-state mechanism and similar investment rules in other international treaties have been rightly criticized for giving multinational corporations too much power while constraining the fundamental role of democratic governments,” says Scott Sinclair, the CCPA senior researcher who authored the study being released Wednesday. ------------------ thestar/news/canada/2015/01/13/canada_being_sued_for_billions_under_nafta_investor_protections.html
Posted on: Wed, 14 Jan 2015 10:25:27 +0000
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