Province nixes Sio Silica sand mining project, citing environmental concerns – Winnipeg Free Press

The Manitoba government has decided not to approve Sio Silica’s controversial plans for a sand mining project east of Winnipeg — a victory for local residents who opposed the proposal.

Premier Wab Kinew and Environment and Climate Change Minister Tracy Schmidt made the announcement at a news conference in Anola Friday morning.

They said the province will not issue an environmental licence.

MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Premier Wab Kinew and Environment and Climate Change Minister Tracy Schmidt at the the Anola Community Club Friday morning.

“Today, we are saying no to Sio,” Kinew said to applause at a news conference in Anola on Friday.

“This means Sio Silica will not be able to mine silica sand in this region. They will not be able to drill into the aquifers, and Manitoba families can rest easy knowing that your drinking water will stay pristine.”

He said the business case for the project does not outweigh potential risks to the environment. The technology Sio Silica proposed using is a new method of extraction and an unproven approach, the premier said.

Kinew said it’s possible to create jobs while protecting drinking water.

“For our government, this is not an either/or decision,” he said. “We are going to create jobs, and we are going to protect the drinking water and the environment at the same time.”

Kinew said the NDP government is prepared to develop mines, but it must be done “in the right way.”

Schmidt said the decision followed months of careful review by the government, her department and the Clean Environment Commission. All identified serious concerns and unknowns about the project, she said.

“No one knows what the long-term effects of this proposal would be, and, frankly, the worst-case scenarios would be absolutely devastating,” the minister said.

Nearly 100,000 Manitobans source their drinking water from aquifers in the region, Schmidt said.

Sio Silica proposed extracting silica sand, using wells in southeastern Manitoba, and processing it at a new facility near Vivian, about 35 kilometres east of Winnipeg.

MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Community members clap and cheer during the announcement.

Pure silica sand is a key manufacturing component for products such as solar panels, computer chips, fibre optics and glass.

The Calgary-based company wanted to drill up to 7,200 wells over 24 years, touting job creation and economic benefits for Manitoba.

Opponents, who include local residents and some RM of Springfield council members, were concerned about environmental impacts. They feared the Winnipeg sandstone aquifer — a drinking water source for thousands of Manitobans — would become contaminated.

The decision was hailed by project opponents.

“We commend Manitoba for listening to the community and to the scientific evidence,” Tangi Bell, a member of a group called Our Line in the Sand, said in a separate news release. “This project raised too many risks for Manitoba’s precious aquifers.”

Sio Silica claimed its preventative measures would eliminate any material impacts to groundwater quality and quantity. It had said the project will meet strict environmental requirements.

In January, backbench NDP MLA and caucus chair Mike Moyes accused former Progressive Conservative premier Heather Stefanson and ex-cabinet minister Jeff Wharton of breaking conflict of interest laws in connection with the proposed project.

Moyes, who filed a complaint to Ethics Commissioner Jeffrey Schnoor, alleges the pair tried to rush approval while the Tories were on their way out after losing the October provincial election.

If approved, it would have violated the caretaker convention, which prohibits an outgoing government from making major decisions during the transition period, the NDP said.

Stefanson and Wharton have denied the allegations.