11°c Overcast
18°c Light rain
Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
Peat mine footprints causing concern
Proposed peat mines. (HANDOUT )
An environmental group is decrying the "rush" to mine peat near Riverton along the western shores of Lake Winnipeg.
The Wilderness Committee said new peat extraction proposals continue to pop up despite a ban on new leases under the province’s Save Lake Winnipeg Act in 2010. That’s because peat mining companies already held a plethora of leases before the act was proclaimed.
Late last month, Sunterra Horticulture Canada applied to the province for a licence to expand its existing peat mine development on Crown land at Beaver Point bog north of Riverton.
Advertisements announcing the proposal were carried in two provincial newspapers, including the Free Press. Anyone wishing to comment on the project has until Tuesday to do so by emailing Darrell Ouimet, environmental officer, Conservation and Water Stewardship Department at darrell.ouimet@gov.mb.ca.
The Wilderness Committee released a map today which it said shows the "massive footprint" the current "peat rush" could have on Lake Winnipeg. The map shows both proposed and existing peat mines.
"Companies have submitted lots of fancy 400-page mine proposals in the last two years, yet not one of them bothered to show the truly massive impact their new peat mines will collectively have around Lake Winnipeg," said Eric Reder, the Wilderness Committee's Manitoba Campaign Director.
Environmental groups and cottagers have also condemned a proposal by another peat mine company, Sun Gro Horticulture, in Hecla/Grindstone Provincial Park.
Conservation and Water Stewardship Minister Gord Mackintosh said the province will make a decision on that proposal by fall.
More Latest News
- Back to Top
- Return to Latest News
Poll
Most Popular Latest News
- Man charged, victims identified in double homicide
- Manitoba's changing spiritual landscape
- Head-on collision kills pickup driver
- Leaving a gang isn't easy — Sidney Letandre, now a paraplegic, knows it all too well
- 'It's a beautiful story': There's not always a tomorrow to say you're sorry or make things right
- Charleswood deaths being investigated as domestic incident
- One dead in Highway 10 collision
- Police make grow-op bust
- Two women face rare charges of harbouring alleged murderer
- Province announces service for Elijah Harper
- Seattle man dribbling soccer ball to Brazil killed by car on Oregon Coast
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- News of city's $17-million winner leaks out on FB
- Woman killed in head-on crash in southwestern Manitoba
- Horrific crash kills minivan driver near Brandon
- Charleswood deaths being investigated as domestic incident
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- Crushing blow for amateur sport
- US woman credits 'mother's instincts' in chase of 4-year-old daughter's abductor
- Flood victim gets six years for shotgun threat, attack
- Seattle man dribbling soccer ball to Brazil killed by car on Oregon Coast
- Driver crashes into tree near golf course
- Arrests made after raids on local head shops
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- News of city's $17-million winner leaks out on FB
- Passengers from diverted flight to leave Winnipeg Thursday night
- No threat from bag found at Winnipeg Square
- Susan Griffiths dies in Switzerland
- Woman killed in head-on crash in southwestern Manitoba
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- Marsh Madness: Photographers Fred Greenslade and Joe Bryksa capture spring migration's grandeur at Delta Marsh
- Manitoba's changing spiritual landscape
- Li granted additional day passes
- Raleigh holds annual tour of backyard chicken coops, part of national spread of urban farming
- WHO warns Saudi coronavirus may be spreading; calls for urgent search for source
- Province announces service for Elijah Harper
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- An uncommon phenomenon
- Marsh Madness: Photographers Fred Greenslade and Joe Bryksa capture spring migration's grandeur at Delta Marsh
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- U.S. bill would give Canadian snowbirds more time to spend in the sun
- Guitar-playing astronaut bows out of space station with music video of Bowie's 'Space Oddity'
- Microsoft update to address Windows 8 complaints, confusion will be free; to be called 8.1
- Horrific crash kills minivan driver near Brandon
- Uganda: Blessed are the children
- Winning 6/49 ticket purchased in Winnipeg
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- Dogs can experience separation anxiety and depression just like humans
- Paul McCartney to play Winnipeg Aug. 12
- Ontario steps in to help save ELA
- Saskatchewan professor wants to test the health benefits of nose-picking
- 'Revenge of the redheads': Ginger-haired Montrealers gather in celebration
- An uncommon phenomenon
- RCMP charge man with double-homicide in Ethelbert
- Passengers from diverted flight to leave Winnipeg Thursday night
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.