Brokenhead leadership opens referendum on possible partnership with silica mining company

Brokenhead Ojibway Nation launched a snap referendum Friday, asking members to vote on a prospective partnership with Sio Silica as the Alberta-based company prepares to reapply for a provincial mining licence.

The one-week voting period opened less than 24 hours after it was announced, drawing criticism from an opponent in the community who called the process “performative” due to its short notice.

According to a notice Brokenhead’s chief and council sent to band members Thursday, Sio Silica has offered the First Nation five per cent of the profits from its mining operations. The share is estimated to total $20 million in annual revenue once the project is fully operational, it said.

“As part of our commitment to transparency and community involvement, Chief and Council are seeking direction from (Brokenhead Ojibway Nation) members on whether to continue this relationship and move forward with all related next steps,” reads the notice.

A vote in favour of the partnership would result in the parties negotiating a final agreement and establishing a joint committee to provide oversight and enforcement over potential environmental impacts. A vote against the partnership means Brokenhead does not accept the current profit-sharing offer, the notice said.

“However, should the Province of Manitoba approve the project, (Brokenhead Ojibway Nation) will still be tasked with negotiating an impact benefit agreement, though the terms — particularly the profit sharing — may differ from the final offer,” the notice reads.

“Whichever direction the vote takes, (Brokenhead Ojibway Nation) leadership remains committed to negotiating an agreement that seeks to benefit the community as a whole.”

“Whichever direction the vote takes, (Brokenhead Ojibway Nation) leadership remains committed to negotiating an agreement that seeks to benefit the community as a whole.”–Brokenhead chief and council notice

Carla Devlin, president of Sio Silica, urged opponents to reconsider their support for the project, which seeks to extract large amounts of crystalline quartz from southeastern Manitoba. The mineral is used to make a variety of products, including solar panels, new batteries and computer chips.

Her company has committed to supporting community members with employment, training and educational opportunities. The project has the potential to “put Manitoba on the map” as a national producer of critical minerals, she said.

“This is the largest known deposit of high-purity quartz in the world and the demand for it is growing,” Devlin said in a phone interview.

“We are offering a solution that is environmentally responsible, economically viable and we hope that it will be Indigenous-led.”

Sio Silica has proposed to drill up to 7,200 wells over 24 years in areas east and southeast of Winnipeg. It seeks to roll out the plan in stages and drill about 50 metres below ground.

“This is the largest known deposit of high-purity quartz in the world and the demand for it is growing.”–Carla Devlin

Critics of the plan have raised concerns about the project’s potential impact on an underground aquifer, fearing operations could compromise its geological stability and impact water quality.

Manitoba’s Clean Environment Commission reviewed the project and produced a report in 2023 that flagged similar concerns.

“As a general principle, full-scale production should only proceed if and when the body of scientific and engineering evidence confirms that the risks are adequately understood and manageable,” the report said.

Nearly 100,000 Manitobans source their drinking water from aquifers in the region.

The NDP government denied Sio Silica’s environmental licences in February 2024, saying the risks outweighed potential benefits.

Devlin disputed those risks Friday, saying Sio Silica has drilled more than 75 test wells and monitored them over four years, finding no impacts to water quality.

“The science is being ignored in favour of fear. We welcome scrutiny, but it must be grounded in fact,” she said.

“A strong economy is the horse that pulls the social cart. Manitoba needs that horsepower right now. This project has the potential to deliver exactly that.”

None of the proposed wells fall on Brokenhead lands, but the community is the closest First Nation to the areas where Sio Silica owns mineral rights.

The company intends to reapply for a mining licence in the coming weeks. It is hoping for Brokenhead’s support, but ultimately, the decision will fall to the provincial government for approval, Devlin said.

A spokesperson for the province declined to comment Friday.

The referendum intersects with Brokenhead’s Treaty Days, which begins Tuesday and continues until Aug. 10. Sio Silica is listed as a platinum sponsor of the annual celebration.

“It feels very tactical to me. I can’t guarantee that’s how they planned it, but… to have something that’s as serious as this (vote) during the exact same week, when people are more involved in the activities, seems a little off-putting and a little bit insincere,” band member Taylor Galvin said.

“It feels very performative.”

“It feels very performative.”–Taylor Galvin

Galvin, an environmental scientist, has been a vocal opponent of Sio Silica’s mining proposal. She launched a petition and wrote an open letter to Brokenhead’s chief and council Friday, demanding they organize an in-person community meeting and extend the referendum.

“We are not your checkboxes. We are not your stepping stones to corporate deals. We are the heartbeat of this land. And we are watching and insisting immediate communication from you,” the letter reads.

Brokenhead has nearly 3,000 people living on- and off- reserve, according to the federal government.

Brokenhead Chief Gordon Bluesky did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Band members can submit votes online throughout the week, and can vote in person at Brokenhead’s Private Tom Chief Memorial Hall between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on the final day next Friday.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca