Ottawa's intervention in troubled Ontario reserve was 'unreasonable,' court rules

Ottawa's appointment of a third-party manager to oversee the affairs of a troubled northern Ontario aboriginal community was "unreasonable in all circumstances," the Federal Court has ruled.

The Attawapiskat First Nation had gone to court seeking a judicial review of the decision by Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development to parachute a manager into their community on the shores of James Bay.

The appointment -- made as the community’s housing crisis hit the headlines last fall -- was bitterly opposed by many in the community, including its leaders.

In a decision released Wednesday, Justice Michael Phelan sided with the aboriginal community, saying Ottawa's appointment of a third-party manager ignored the real problems -- a shortage of adequate housing as winter approached.