Kinew promises public inquiry into PC handling of Sio Silica

Premier Wab Kinew said he will launch a public inquiry into the former Progressive Conservative government’s push to approve an environmental licence for mining company Sio Silica.

A public inquiry will help Manitobans understand the former government’s motivations and why the decisions were made to try approving the controversial silica sand mine after the PCs lost the 2023 election, a spokesperson for Kinew said in a Dec. 22 statement to The Carillon.

“What Manitobans deserve is transparency, accountability and a government that respects the fundamental principles of our democracy,” the spokesperson said.

They also noted the public inquiry can show which regulations needs to be strengthened.

Kinew’s statement didn’t say when the inquiry would begin, how much it would cost and who would lead it.

PC leader Obby Khan called Kinew’s announcement “political games” and said the matter has already been investigated when Manitoba legislature ethics commissioner Jeffrey Schnoor released his 100-page report in May.

Schnoor found Stefanson and PC MLAs Cliff Cullen and Jeff Wharton breached the Conflict of Interest Act when they attempted to push through an environmental licence application for Sio Silica during the post-election transition period in 2023. Fines totalling roughly $40,000 were levied against the implicated Stefanson and the PC MLAs involved.

“At a time when Manitobans are dying in hospital emergency rooms, health care is in a shambles and Manitobans are choosing between groceries and Christmas presents, this premier wants to spend millions of dollars on an inquiry,” Khan said in a statement.

“He is no doubt trying to distract Manitobans from the many failures of his NDP government.”

Kinew’s public inquiry promise comes as no surprise for University of Manitoba political studies adjunct Prof. Christopher Adams. He said a potential public inquiry could shed light on those who funded and lobbied the PCs regarding the Sio Silica project.

“It broadens the question of the inquiry, rather than just who did what in government, but also more broadly (shows) what the motives were and who is pushing from the outside for these decisions,” Adams said.

However, politics may be at play for the public inquiry and it’s not certain new information will be found during the process, he noted.

“There’s no love lost between the PCs and the NDP. There’s no love lost between Obby Khan and Wab Kinew,” Adams said. “I think the NDP would enjoy seeing the uncovering of certain facts of lobbying in the previous government.”

Sio Silica president and East St Paul Mayor Carla Devlin said in a statement Sio Silica will cooperate with a public inquiry.

“Sio Silica will fully cooperate throughout the process, while continuing to work with the government to responsibly develop Manitoba’s silica resource in a way that supports energy and technology job creation and helps drive a new era of economic growth for the province of Manitoba,” she said.

Devlin didn’t respond to questions on if a public inquiry will impact the mining company’s second application for a environmental licence.

The Kinew government denied the mining company’s first application in February 2024 after the public took issue with the mining project’s potential impact on drinking water.

The new licence application was filed on Oct. 28 and is currently under review by Manitoba’s Clean Environment Commision. Sio Silica’s new proposal reduces the number of mining wells and shrinks the silica sand mining area near Vivian.