Sio Silica caught in ‘stink’ of Tory ethics scandal, Kinew says

The company behind a controversial proposal to mine for silica sand wasn’t the subject of an ethics investigation, but the “stink” of unanswered questions by the former PC government needs to be cleared up before the NDP government will consider any new Sio Silica proposal, Premier Wab Kinew said.

“We’ve got to clear the air,” Kinew said when asked Thursday if the province has a problem approving any Sio Silica project.

He said there is a “stink” coming off the former PC government that “casts a pretty nasty cloud and we’ve got to clear the air.”

The company says the probe by ethics commissioner Jeffrey Schnoor has cleared the air.

He concluded former premier Heather Stefanson, her deputy premier Cliff Cullen and economic development minister Jeff Wharton broke the law by pushing to get the project licensed in the dying days of the PC government in late 2023. It’s a violation of the caretaker convention — the constitutional principle in which a defeated government doesn’t make big decisions before the winning party officially takes office.

“We do not believe the ethics commissioner’s findings will impact our ability to advance future proposals or a revised plan for the Vivian site,” said Sio Silica. In July, the firm announced it would take another shot at developing a silica sand mine after its initial plan was rejected.

“With the completion of this review, we look forward to moving ahead with the regulatory process for our project,” Sio Silica president Carla Devlin said in a prepared statement this week.

“We are committed to open dialogue, environmental stewardship, and creating lasting economic benefits for Manitoba,” said the East St. Paul mayor who considered running for the PC leadership before becoming president of Sio Silica.

Since the investigation’s findings were made public Wednesday, Kinew has highlighted them during question period and in scrums with reporters.

Two days after Stefanson and the PCs lost the Oct. 3, 2023 election, a deputy environment minister advised Cullen that in light of the caretaker convention, the department would not issue a licence to the Sio Silica project.

On Oct. 6, Sio Silica board member David Filmon — a son of former Tory premier Gary Filmon — sent a text to Cullen asking “Did we get it done today?” and Cullen replied “the bureaucracy failed to mention to me that there would be a different outcome on issuing if the NDP won. Made me look bad. I feel sick. Working on some options with Kathryn (Gerrard, the clerk of the executive council).”

Stefanson and Cullen knew the NDP opposed the project being licensed by the Tory government during the caretaker period, and got Wharton on Oct. 12 to — unsuccessfully — urge PC environment ministers Kevin Klein and Rochelle Squires to license the project. The NDP government hadn’t been sworn in yet.

On Thursday, Wharton apologized in the legislative assembly for his part in the scandal, but refused to face reporters to answer their questions.

Cullen has not responded to a request for comment. Stefanson, through her lawyer, issued a statement saying she did nothing wrong.

The investigation found no evidence they received a financial benefit from acting improperly and breaking the caretaker convention, a constitutional principle that requires an incumbent government to act with restraint once an election is called.

“You have a right to know why were they so intent on ignoring the results of the election to improperly further private interests,” Kinew said Thursday. “We have an obligation to you as Manitobans to try and figure out more about what went on,” he told reporters.

“There’s so many unanswered questions. We have to get answers to these questions.”

When asked if he’d call a public inquiry, Kinew said that would be expensive.

“Why don’t they just answer the questions that have been left unanswered?”

Schnoor’s report recommended fines be levied against Stefanson ($18,000), Cullen ($12,000) and Wharton ($10,000).

The legislative assembly has 10 sitting days following the tabling of the ethics report to vote on issuing fines.

Kinew said he plans to use that time to keep asking the PCs questions before holding a vote.

Sio Silica said it wasn’t the subject of the investigation and wasn’t found to have acted improperly.

“Looking ahead, we remain focused on collaborating with the current government and all stakeholders in a transparent, respectful manner,” Devlin said.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca