Province looking into bear cub rescue’s concerns over limestone quarry approval in RM of Rockwood

The province says it is looking into its options to intervene on the approval of a limestone quarry that could impact the operations at a local black bear rescue.

Natural Resources Minister Ian Bushie spoke to Black Bear Rescue Manitoba Friday afternoon, advising the organization that the province was looking into its concerns, a spokesperson said.

“The province is grateful for the work that Bear Rescue Manitoba does, and we are concerned about recent developments that may threaten the rescue centre,” said an emailed statement from Bushie’s office.

The statement did not mention what avenues the province could, or would, pursue.

Despite community opposition, the RM of Rockwood voted to approve a 730-acre limestone quarry extraction project Wednesday evening. Before the scheduled vote, Black Bear Rescue Manitoba co-owner Judy Stearns said the sound of constant rock blasting and gravel trucks driving in and out of the site would put stress on the orphaned cubs.

The quarry, to be owned and operated by Amrize Canada Inc., is located less than a kilometre from Stearns’ property line.

Stearns says she and her husband, Roger, are looking at their legal options.

“We can’t let the bear rescue be closed. We’ve worked too hard and we’ve had too much public support, and this is a needed service in the province,” she said.

The rescue and rehabilitation centre has been in the RM of Rockwood, located northwest of Winnipeg, since 2018, but the Stearns family has lived in the municipality for more than 20 years.

The rescue has six cubs currently in its care, but has cared for as many as 30 bear cubs at once in previous years.

Not only does Stearns worry about the noise from the quarry, she said she worries about the dust from the rock blasting landing on her property and contaminating her cubs’ food supply. The project also runs the risk of fracturing the area’s aquifer which would affect the municipality’s water supply, as well as decreasing nearby property values.

Stearns said moving the rescue would cost millions of dollars and take years to do.

More than 300 letters of objection were submitted to the municipality prior to a public hearing held on March 19 about the proposed quarry. Letters from local residents, those living in the neighbouring town of Stonewall and people from as far as Australia, Denmark and Japan signed letters expressing their objection.

RM of Cartier resident Rainy Thiele wrote to Bushie Thursday to ask the province to intervene on the decision.

”I think (the project) is just a direct opposition to what the bear cub rescue needs,” Thiele told the Free Press. “I know that there are regulations in place, but I have great concerns that when push comes to shove, those regulations will not actually be met.”

The RM monitors rock-blasting noise from operations already in the municipality. On its website, residents can see how loud previous rock blasts measured. Rockwood’s maximum noise for rock blasts is 130 decibels, similar to the sound an average jackhammer makes while being operated.

Stearns says she regularly hears blasts from operations much further than the one approved near her property.

In an emailed statement, Amrize said its approved plan follows all provincial and municipal requirements, the site’s haul route was intentionally designed to avoid the rescue and it more than doubled the mandatory 400-metre setback from a residence.

“Based on these factors, we do not expect our operations to impact the rescue,” the statement read.

Amrize said it will be reaching out to representatives from the bear rescue centre and other interested groups “soon.”

Stearns said without any legal or provincial intervention, she will be shutting down her rescue and moving from the area.

“We can’t tolerate a quarry in our front yard,” she said.

Rockwood Reeve Wes Taplin declined to comment on the proposal, citing the possible legal involvement, but said council voted on the proposal based on the information it had. Taplin voted to approve the project.

“We made our decision on what information we had in front of us, and it was the will of council. It was the democratic process and this is what happened,” Taplin said Friday.

Had council voted to deny Amrize’s plan, Taplin said he is “positive” it would have been pushed to the Municipal Board for a hearing.

Under provincial law, the applicant of a proposal can appeal a council vote to the Municipal Board should it disagree with the decision, which would hear the proposal and cast a final decision on the matter.

nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca