Province’s mine assessment ‘shoddy,’ environmental group says

A group that opposed a sand mine ultimately nixed by the NDP government says the environmental assessment of an open pit mine that has been approved near Hollow Water First Nation is “shoddy.”

“We oppose the assessment process that has gone on,” Our Line in the Sand spokesperson Tangi Bell said Tuesday morning before an Earth Day rally at the Manitoba legislature.

The environmental group planned to present a petition with nearly 600 signatures to the NDP government calling for improvements to its “antiquated” oversight process.

“We know in the past with the previous government, they failed to meet with us,” Bell said. “We’re hoping that this government is different.”

The longtime advocate said the group presented the petition to security at the legislature after failing to secure a meeting with the government.

“The environmental assessment and licensing process that was handed to the Hollow Water project — the Canadian Premium Sands (project), that was shoddy,” Bell said. “It was a shoddy process.”

Environment Minister Mike Moyes said Tuesday he hadn’t seen the petition but defended the province’s environmental assessment.

“We have high standards across all different areas but we’re always looking to make things better. We always want to work with all different groups and ensure that we have a very transparent and and straightforward process. But right now we’re very confident in our environmental practices,” Moyes told reporters.

In early 2024, the Manitoba government endorsed the Canadian Premium Sands Inc. plan to construct North America’s only patterned solar glass manufacturing facility in Selkirk and mine for silica sand close to Hollow Water First Nation, 190 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg.

The Calgary-based company has regulatory approval for the plant and the mine, with the environmental licence for the facility issued in May 2023. It then set out to raise capital to build the plant and its associated quarry in the communities of Hollow Water and Seymourville.

Last year, then-environment minister Tracy Schmidt said the province dismissed an appeal against the sand extraction proposal to clear the way for development. She said there had been months of review of the appeals over and above a lengthy review by departmental experts who issued the licences in 2023.

On Tuesday, Canadian Premium Sands chief executive officer Glenn Leroux described the review process as “very thorough” and that the company was held “fully accountable.” He pointed to the “significant cost” of a drainage study that the company paid for to satisfy “a vocal special interest group.”

“To say it was a shoddy process is an insult to the dedicated and well qualified professionals that manage the (environmental assessment licensing) application process on behalf of the province,” Leroux said.

When asked Tuesday if the project was open to question or further environmental review, Moyes said “we’re going to look at all projects based on their merit moving forward regardless of what we’re talking about. But we ultimately want to ensure that we’re upholding good environmental standards across all sectors.”

Moyes was the NDP caucus chair on Jan. 12, 2024, when the NDP accused then-Tory leader Heather Stefanson and former cabinet minister Jeff Wharton of breaking conflict of interest laws in an attempt to approve the proposed Sio Silica sand mine after the party lost the Oct. 3, 2023, election.

While the proposed mine near Vivian was never approved, questions remain about whether there was an attempt to violate ethics rules during the caretaker period before the NDP government was sworn in.

Moyes asked Ethics Commissioner Jeffrey Schnoor to investigate Stefanson and Wharton for corruption, for putting their own interests ahead of Manitobans’ and for violating the Conflict of Interest Act.

The complaints were based on public statements made by former environment minister Kevin Klein and acting environment minister Rochelle Squires (who both lost their seats to the NDP). They claimed they received separate calls from Wharton on Oct. 12, asking them to approve an environmental licence for the sand-extraction project.

Schnoor said Tuesday his report is expected by late May.

Legislation requires him to provide it first to the subjects of the complaint and to house Speaker, Tom Lindsey.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca