Public, media locked out of vote on Sio developments

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This article was published 26/06/2023 (920 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The RM of Springfield locked its municipal office doors and refused to let residents or reporters inside where council held a meeting to decide the fate of a silica sand processing plant that has many concerned for the safety of their water.

More than 100 people gathered outside the building hoping to put the Sio Silica project on hold until the environmental impacts are fully understood. Springfield Police and RCMP officers were present inside and outside the building even though protesters remained peaceful.

“I realized this is something serious for me and my future. Maybe it won’t affect them, but it will affect me and maybe even my children,” said Larry Denisiuk, 18. “Why are they doing this if it’s not going to benefit the community? Why would they agree to something that the community just doesn’t agree on?”

Denisiuk learned of the issue from his high school biology teacher and became concerned after researching the silica project. He thinks it’s a red flag that the eight other municipalities that could be impacted if the aquifer is contaminated have not been consulted on the matter.

Many other residents share the same worries, urging council members to extend the deadline to sign the agreement.

“How would I live here if I don’t have access to clean water?” Denisiuk said. “We’ve got to think about the future, the long-term consequences.”

During a press conference held outside before the council meeting, councillors Andy Kuczynski and Mark Miller addressed questions the crowd had, assuring them that they will continue to protect Springfield’s water.

During the special meeting held through Zoom, three council members voted against allowing members of the public to enter the council chamber or open the office doors to the lobby after CAO Colleen Draper locked them.

Draper said she chose to lock the doors because two staff members expressed concern for their safety.

“I saw no bonfires, I saw no torches, I saw no pitchforks. People were here,” Tangi Bell said. “They came during their lunch hours, they came during whatever time they could take off from work and they were here. They were waiting to have actually healthy democracy take place.”

Bell leads the group, Our Line in the Sand, which is opposed to Sio Silica’s development plans and attended the Monday meeting.

Although the development agreement on the table deals with only the building of a sand processing facility, Bell doesn’t believe there are no risks like Mayor Patrick Therrien says. She worries there will be leaks and air pollution.

Bell and others said being locked out left them with a lack of trust. Many of their questions about the benefits of the agreement were left unanswered by Therrien.

Remaining residents huddled around phones to hear if council would vote to approve the development agreement.

Cheers and clapping erupted from those gathered after the agreement was defeated. Coun. Melinda Warren abstained from voting, leaving it deadlocked and unable to go any further.

Once the meeting ended, the Mayor refused to comment after leaving the building from a side door. Police officers left when the meeting finished.

“You don’t know how much it means to have familiar faces fight for us,” Miller said on the steps outside the RM office. “We’re the voices in that chamber because you’re locked out, but you’re our inspiration.”

Miller and Kuczynski represent roughly half the residents in Springfield and say they have received multiple calls and messages to not back down.

Now, Manitoba Environment Minister Kevin Klein has final say on whether the project will continue or not. That decision will be based on the Manitoba Clean Environment Commission’s findings.

The CEC held hearings on the proposed mining and processing operations from Sio Silica. They ended March 24. Klein will get the commission’s report Thursday, 90 days after the end of the hearings.

Despite the defeat of the agreement, Anola resident Ted Cole continued to voice concerns about Sio Silica’s plans at a regularly scheduled council meeting Tuesday night. He expressed frustration, saying he is “willing to die on this battlefield.”

“This company has changed my whole life. It’s not right. Why do I have to fight every day?” Cole said. “Why do I have to wake up first thing in the morning and it’s in my head? Why do I have to go to bed every night and it’s in my head? It’s not supposed to be there.”

Therrien remained unavailable for comment at the time of publication.