No timeline for silica project after Manitoba received environmental report
Local Journalism Initiative
Fri, June 23, 2023
Manitoba’s environment minister confirmed Friday the province has received a report that will help them determine whether or not a controversial silica sand mine project should be built in a rural Manitoba community, and the minister is now vowing that he and the province won’t be making any final decisions until the contents of the report are thoroughly reviewed and understood.
Plans have been in the works for about four years for Calgary-based Sio Silica to build a silica mine and processing plant near the community of Vivian in the RM of Springfield, east of Winnipeg.
The project calls for up to 7,700 wells over 24 years to extract ultra-pure silica sand, which can be used in the production of solar panels, batteries, and semiconductors.
But those plans have been met with fierce resistance from some who live in and around Vivian, as some believe the project and the mining methods used pose a serious threat to the quality of groundwater in the area.
A June 13 council meeting in Springfield, where councillors were supposed to vote on zoning and bylaw changes for the project, was adjourned early, after several citizens confronted Springfield councillors, leaving Springfield Mayor Patrick Therrien to say he was concerned for the safety of some on council. RCMP were also called to the meeting, but there were no arrests or charges laid.
And despite some on Springfield’s current as well as its previous council stating that they are opposed to the project including current councillors Mark Miller and Andy Kuczynski, the final decision will now come down to the province.
Springfield’s previous council voted against construction of the facility, but that decision was overruled by the provincial Municipal Board, which told Springfield they must amend their bylaws.
A final decision is now dependent on the Clean Environment Commission Report the province received Friday. Environment and Climate Minister Kevin Klein promised the province would take its time to study the report and said they would not allow any projects that could affect groundwater in Manitoba communities.
“As a government, we take the CEC reports and recommendations very seriously,” Klein said on Friday. “The protection of the environment and ensuring safe drinking water is paramount as we now undertake further technical review.
“Our government must now take the time to thoroughly review the report and ensure due diligence in the many next steps.”
Klein said that the province is now also making the report available to the public on the Manitoba Government’s website, as he said he wants any and all concerned residents to have an opportunity to read the report for themselves.
“The community and the public are interested in this, and they want to know what the CEC said, and that’s why this report is being delivered today,” Klein said. “We are accountable to Manitobans.”
Klein refused to give any timeline of when the final decision could come down.
“The process is the process, and the process will take as long as it needs to take,” he said. “Time is not the issue, process is the issue.”
In a statement sent to the Winnipeg Sun on Friday, Sio Silica said they appreciate the work that went into creating the CEC report, and hope that the project will ultimately gain approval.
“Sio Silica recognizes the amount of time, investment and data analyzation by all those involved in the Clean Environment Commission review of the Vivian Sand Extraction Project,” the statement reads.
“Sio thanks the Commission for its time and commitment to the process, and is pleased to move forward with our project as it progresses to the next steps.”
The Winnipeg Sun also reached out to Springfield Mayor Patrick Therrien, and councillors Mark Miller and Andy Kuczynski for comment, but received no response before Friday’s press deadline.
— Dave Baxter is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the Winnipeg Sun. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
Dave Baxter, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Winnipeg Sun
Local Journalism Initiative
Fri, June 23, 2023
Manitoba’s environment minister confirmed Friday the province has received a report that will help them determine whether or not a controversial silica sand mine project should be built in a rural Manitoba community, and the minister is now vowing that he and the province won’t be making any final decisions until the contents of the report are thoroughly reviewed and understood.
Plans have been in the works for about four years for Calgary-based Sio Silica to build a silica mine and processing plant near the community of Vivian in the RM of Springfield, east of Winnipeg.
The project calls for up to 7,700 wells over 24 years to extract ultra-pure silica sand, which can be used in the production of solar panels, batteries, and semiconductors.
But those plans have been met with fierce resistance from some who live in and around Vivian, as some believe the project and the mining methods used pose a serious threat to the quality of groundwater in the area.
A June 13 council meeting in Springfield, where councillors were supposed to vote on zoning and bylaw changes for the project, was adjourned early, after several citizens confronted Springfield councillors, leaving Springfield Mayor Patrick Therrien to say he was concerned for the safety of some on council. RCMP were also called to the meeting, but there were no arrests or charges laid.
And despite some on Springfield’s current as well as its previous council stating that they are opposed to the project including current councillors Mark Miller and Andy Kuczynski, the final decision will now come down to the province.
Springfield’s previous council voted against construction of the facility, but that decision was overruled by the provincial Municipal Board, which told Springfield they must amend their bylaws.
A final decision is now dependent on the Clean Environment Commission Report the province received Friday. Environment and Climate Minister Kevin Klein promised the province would take its time to study the report and said they would not allow any projects that could affect groundwater in Manitoba communities.
“As a government, we take the CEC reports and recommendations very seriously,” Klein said on Friday. “The protection of the environment and ensuring safe drinking water is paramount as we now undertake further technical review.
“Our government must now take the time to thoroughly review the report and ensure due diligence in the many next steps.”
Klein said that the province is now also making the report available to the public on the Manitoba Government’s website, as he said he wants any and all concerned residents to have an opportunity to read the report for themselves.
“The community and the public are interested in this, and they want to know what the CEC said, and that’s why this report is being delivered today,” Klein said. “We are accountable to Manitobans.”
Klein refused to give any timeline of when the final decision could come down.
“The process is the process, and the process will take as long as it needs to take,” he said. “Time is not the issue, process is the issue.”
In a statement sent to the Winnipeg Sun on Friday, Sio Silica said they appreciate the work that went into creating the CEC report, and hope that the project will ultimately gain approval.
“Sio Silica recognizes the amount of time, investment and data analyzation by all those involved in the Clean Environment Commission review of the Vivian Sand Extraction Project,” the statement reads.
“Sio thanks the Commission for its time and commitment to the process, and is pleased to move forward with our project as it progresses to the next steps.”
The Winnipeg Sun also reached out to Springfield Mayor Patrick Therrien, and councillors Mark Miller and Andy Kuczynski for comment, but received no response before Friday’s press deadline.
— Dave Baxter is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the Winnipeg Sun. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
Dave Baxter, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Winnipeg Sun
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