NDP says no to Sio Silica

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This article was published 23/02/2024 (438 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A proposed silica sand mining project will not go ahead in the Vivian area after the NDP government announced there would be no environmental licence for Alberta based Sio Silica.

The announcement was made at the Anola Community Hall on Friday, much to the delight of opponents of the project who had been invited to take in the press conference announced late the day before.

The project would have seen up to 7,200 wells drilled over 24 years to extract high-quality silica sand.

Premier Wab Kinew referenced an announcement made earlier in the week approving a silica sand mining operation put forward by Canadian Premium Sands (CPS).

“This week our government said yes to CPS, today we are saying no to Sio,” he announced.

Kinew said the environmental licence was denied because of concerns of how the project would affect the aquifer.

“They will not be able to drill into the aquifers and Manitoba families can rest easy, knowing that your drinking water will stay pristine,” he said.

The decision was made, he added, after careful review of the environmental risks and the proposed economic impact.

The Clean Environment Commission also highlighted concerns with the project, saying that “significant conditions” would be required to allow the project to move ahead.

They reported concerns with what they called “novel characteristics” saying the technology to be used had never been used for this purpose.

They advocated that if the project were to proceed it should do so in careful steps.

But Kinew said they considered the CEC report, spoke with department experts and listened to concerns from the community.

“The business case of this project does not outweigh the serious environmental risk this project poses and the impact it could have on the drinking water of this community and many others in the region,” he said.

Tracy Schmidt, environment and climate change minister, echoed Kinew’s sentiments.

“No one knows what the long term effects of this proposal would be and frankly the worst case scenario would be absolutely devastating as nearly 100,000 Manitobans source their drinking water from these aquifers,” she said.

However she said they would review any new projects as needed.

“We would certainly never rule out projects in the future but this project, this proponent, this time, is a no,” she said.

Schmidt said the project approved earlier in the week was very different from the one proposed by Sio Silica.

“The only similarity between the two projects is the resource being mined, being silica sand,” she said explaining the CPS project is traditional open pit mining.

“This project here in the RM of Springfield was again a completely novel way of mining silica sand,” she added. “It has never been done anywhere in the world, drilling through aquifers to extract a resource is simply too novel, too risky at this stage.”

Schmidt initially refused to confirm whether or not departmental experts agreed with her assessment, skirting the question several times before admitting not everyone was on the same page.

“I would say there was no consensus,” she said.

A statement issued later in the day by Sio Silica expressed disappointment in the decision and said there was a lack of communication.

“In fact, Minister Schmidt declined meeting requests and has never shared with Sio any concerns her office or the department may have had,” they said.

The statement also pushed back at the idea of the project being an environmental risk, saying the project is not dangerous or unproven.

“The safety and feasibility to proceed has been confirmed by some of the largest global engineering firms and respected independent experts,” the statement said, adding that all required technical reviews had been completed and the final CEC report recommendations were drafted into the draft licence which had been reviewed and finalized by the Environmental Approvals Branch.

“It is also unfortunate that this decision was political and not based on science or facts,” the statement said. “This is supported by the fact that Sio was not given prior notice of the decision nor provided with an opportunity to provide a response in advance of the public announcement. Sio and the general public as a whole were not notified that an announcement would be occurring today, yet there were many participants in the gallery that were gathered for no other reason but to applaud this decision.”

Sio Silica concluded their statement by saying they will take the coming weeks to evaluate their legal options.

Those in attendance were all firmly opposed to the project.

RM of Springfield Coun. Andy Kuczynski, who along with Coun. Mark Miller had opposed the project from its inception said it felt like a victory for RM residents.

“Our community told us straight forward, ‘We want to protect our water. It’s our life’,” he said.

A joint press release from the two councillors released on Tuesday commended the provincial ethics investigation, suggesting a public inquiry may be necessary.

Green Party leader Janine Gibson also commended the decision. Her property was located only a few miles from one of the test wells.

“It’s a big relief that this government has said ‘No’,” she said. “Water is life and we need to protect it. I’m just so grateful and so glad for all our neighbours here in southeast Manitoba. It’s a real victory for the environment.”

The Springfield Taxpayers Corporation was another group applauding the decision.

In a lengthy statement they commended the NDP government and criticized the RM of Springfield mayor and half of council for not defending local residents.

They also praised those local residents for getting involved.

“Our survey in September resulted in a 96.4 percent vote against Sio Silica,” they said. “We thank all the people for their continued support and dedication to the preservation of maintaining a safe and dependable water source for our homes and businesses over the last three years.”

The Manitoba Eco-Network and Our Line in the Sand issued a joint release not only praising the decision but asking for change in the process.

They said information gaps were present such as the fact that the proposal only included a five year snapshot of a 24 year project.

“This decision illustrates the need to improve Manitoba’s environmental assessment process to enable better environmental decision making,” said Tangi Bell of Our Line in the Sand. “There needs to be more opportunities for meaningful public engagement and supports for citizens seeking to protect their homes and livelihoods.”