
Manitoba politician says he thought he was within his right to push silica mine
WINNIPEG – A former Manitoba cabinet minister says he thought he was following the rules when he tried to push the approval of a silica sand mine after his party was defeated in an election.
Jeff Wharton has spoken to the media for the first time since the province's ethics commissioner issued a damning report last week into the actions of some members of the former Progressive Conservative government after losing the October 2023 election.
The commissioner said despite losing the election, three senior Tories tried to get the planned Sio Silica mining project approved before the incoming NDP government could be sworn in.
The commissioner said former premier Heather Stefanson, former deputy premier Cliff Cullen, and Wharton — the then-minister for economic development — violated the conflict of interest law and should be fined.
Wharton, the only one of the three still in politics, says he accepts the report's findings and apologizes.
Wharton says he thought the outgoing government was allowed to approve the mine under a section of the Environment Act, but now accepts that the belief was wrong.
Tory Leader Obby Khan has stripped Wharton of his Opposition critic duties, but Wharton remains in caucus.
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The NDP government rejected the mine a few months later, citing concerns that included the potential impact on drinking water.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 26, 2025

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Toronto Sun
2 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
BELL: Danielle Smith is playing nice with Carney, Poilievre is not
Alberta premier plays ball with Carney unless or until he screws over her province Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks as he attends a tour of the Fort York Armoury in Toronto on June 9, 2025 in Toronto, Canada. Prime Minister Carney has pledged to meet NATO's 2% spending pledge this year. (Photo byPierre Poilievre figures he's got Prime Minister Mark Carney's number. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account If an Albertan dials it, they will almost certainly not get what they want. On Monday, Poilievre raises the curtain on who he believes is the real Mark Carney. The Conservative leader says Carney recently made 'a very troubling comment.' He only heard it in French. 'The premiers will have a veto on pipelines.' B.C.'s NDP Premier David Eby is standing in the way of the bitumen pipeline Alberta Premier Danielle Smith would like to see going to the west coast, with product heading to ready and willing Asian customers. 'Is the prime minister effectively saying we're not going to get any pipelines built?' asks Poilievre. 'If you wait until everyone agrees on everything nothing will happen. We can't wait any longer. We have to get things done. It's going to take some backbone. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'We, as Conservatives, believe in pushing ahead with pipelines.' Read More Poilievre adds the shortest and easiest pipeline route is through northern B.C. to the west coast and the port of Prince Rupert. The Conservative leader says it is insane almost all the Alberta oil is sold to the U.S. at a discount 'to the exclusive benefit of American refineries and commodity traders.' He says 'giant leaps' are needed on this file and Liberal anti-oil policies also must be punted. Leader of the Conservative Party Pierre Poilievre speaks with reporters in the Foyer of the House of Commons, Monday, Jun 9, 2025 in Ottawa. Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press Meanwhile, Premier Danielle Smith plays nice with Carney, at least for now. In fact, she has had many kind words for the prime minister even when newshounds push the premier to see if she will dish some dirt on Carney. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Smith feels Carney wants to do the right thing. To Smith, he appears sincere. She believes Alberta is making progress with him. He is moving in the right direction. Yes, Smith says Carney is far better than former prime minister Justin Trudeau. A sea of change. She says many people are telling her to give this Liberal prime minister a chance. A recent nose count showed even some federal Conservative voters in Alberta are moderately impressed with Carney. Believe it or not! The premier goes further. She thinks Carney realizes he has to change course from the Trudeau years if he wants to survive politically. Smith thinks Carney is taking seriously the sentiment for Alberta independence. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith speaks at the First Ministers' Meeting at TCU Place. Photo taken in Saskatoon, Sask. on Monday, June 2, 2025. Michelle Berg/Saskatoon StarPhoenix Yes, Smith has had phone calls and returned texts from Carney. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. She feels if Alberta demonstrates the pipeline to the west coast is in the national interest the province will be able to get pipeline approval. On weekend TV, Smith is confronted with the fact Carney believes a pipeline thumbs-up will need the 'consensus' of the provinces. If a province doesn't want a pipeline you're out of luck and the B.C. government doesn't want Smith's pipeline to the west coast. When faced with Carney handing the B.C. government what amounts to a veto, the Alberta premier does not go after the prime minister. Smith figures Team Canada is going to prevail. She will try to convince the B.C. NDP premier to support the pipeline. Smith says she knows Eby is on Team Canada and she doesn't think Eby will go off Team Canada. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. B.C. Premier David Eby. B.C. Government We will know pretty soon where the chips will fall. The good news for Carney is Smith is not being a public thorn in the side of the prime minister. She is prepared to work with him at this time. No doubt she is trusting in the one thing we know about Liberals. They do not really believe in anything, One day they will give you the impression they stand for something. It is their principle. Here they stand. The next day, if the wind switches direction, they will stand for the exact opposite of where they stood and sound so sincere when they are advocating what they had previously attacked. That's why they can take much of the Conservative policy and say it is Liberal. That's why they can do the fear-mongering Elbows Up and then drop it when they no longer need to whip people up. They got their votes. Mission accomplished. Smith thinks Canadians are with Alberta on pipelines and Carney knows it. So Smith will play nice with Carney. If it all works out, and there are many who bet it will not work out, the Alberta premier can take a victory lap. If it doesn't work out, there is always a return to the old script. Another Liberal shafts Alberta. Then all hell will break loose. rbell@ Toronto Blue Jays World Olympics Editorial Cartoons Relationships

National Observer
6 hours ago
- National Observer
‘Harper's dreams coming true': MPs slam Carney's fast-tracking plan
Prime Minister Mark Carney's new bill to fast-track major projects will have to rely on Conservative votes to pass, with all other parties expressing major reservations. The legislation would allow the federal government to conditionally approve projects it deems 'in the national interest' before an environmental or impact assessment or other regulatory processes take place. Both the NDP and Greens have spoken out against it, while Patrick Bonin, Bloc Québécois environment and climate change critic, called Carney's plan to fast-track major projects 'highly problematic' at a French-language press conference on Monday. The federal government is seeking to give itself 'superpowers' to accelerate projects and weaken environmental protections, Bonin said. Some of the factors used to evaluate whether a project is in the national interest are vague, and there's no obligation for the government to adhere to it, he added. Then, there is the question of sovereignty and whether provinces can say no to projects in their jurisdiction. Last week, Carney said projects need consensus from provinces to move forward, but the legislation doesn't spell that out, leaving room for potential overreach on provincial jurisdiction, Bonin said. The Building Canada Act is part of an omnibus bill that also includes action to remove federal barriers to interprovincial trade, which is less controversial than the changes to major project approvals. On Monday, the Bloc Québécois called on the federal government to split the omnibus bill into two separate bills so the issues can be studied in the relevant federal committees. The federal Conservatives have not confirmed whether they will support the bill — Leader Pierre Poilievre said caucus will discuss it on Wednesday. For the Conservatives, the question is not whether legislation is perfect, but whether it is better than the way things are, Poilievre said on Friday. 'That's what we'll be looking at as we study this newly-introduced bill over the next few days.' 'We would vote in favour of accelerating even one project,' Poilievre said, indicating that he wants to see new pipelines in particular. 'Once a project is on that list, it's not a question of if it's going to move forward, but how,' Alexandre Boulerice, NDP critic for environment and climate change, said. 'It's like Stephen Harper's dreams coming true." Last week, BC Premier David Eby said he will not support Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's vision of building a new oil pipeline to BC's north coast. Poilievre made it clear he doesn't think provinces should get veto power over nationally important projects. 'We need a pipeline to the Pacific, and if the prime minister says he's going to wait till everyone agrees, then nothing will get done, which is what has been happening for the last decade,' Poilievre said at a press conference at Parliament Hill on Monday. If the Conservatives support Bill C-5, the Liberals will have the votes they need to get it through the House of Commons. The NDP says its members will vote against the bill, with one MP calling the major projects section 'really dangerous.' 'Once a project is on that list, it's not a question of if it's going to move forward, but how,' Alexandre Boulerice, NDP critic for environment and climate change, said in a phone interview with Canada's National Observer. 'It's like Stephen Harper's dreams coming true.' He said the NDP is currently exploring possible options to block the bill, but any action would likely require cooperation with the Bloc Québécois. Either way, Boulerice doesn't see how the federal government can rush the bill through by July 1, given that there are less than two weeks left before the House rises for the summer. 'It's a really capitalist logic that what we need to do is to provide certainty to investors and companies,' Boulerice said. Green Party Leader Elizabeth May also criticized the proposed legislation in a June 9 press release. 'Bill C-5 gives the federal Cabinet sweeping discretion to fast-track projects while weakening Indigenous rights and environmental protections,' May's statement reads. 'This is the first time in 40 years that Canadian environmental assessment law has been written to serve political deals first and environmental responsibility second.' Factors for determining national interest 'carefully worded' The bill lists some factors the government may consider when deciding whether a project will be listed for fast-tracking, one of which is whether it will 'contribute to clean growth and to meeting Canada's objectives with respect to climate change.' Another factor is whether it will 'advance the interests of Indigenous peoples.' Boulerice said these are nothing more than broad slogans. Mark Winfield, a professor of environmental governance at York University, was of the same mind. 'These are attempts to cover off points of potential vulnerability,' he said in a phone interview with C anada's National Observer. The bill does not have a clear definition of 'clean growth,' he said, which creates huge loopholes for approving projects or employing technologies that many Canadians wouldn't consider 'clean.' 'The government has been very liberal in its definition of 'clean' to include things like CCUS [carbon capture, utilisation and storage], critical minerals, [and] nuclear,' Winfield said. The bill raises serious questions about how the federal government will reconcile Canada's climate change obligations with all the talk of potential pipeline and fossil fuel export projects at the same time as northern Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario are going up in smoke, he added. 'Everybody thinks that it's an open door for pipelines, in fact, for oil and gas,' Boulerice said. 'It's not about solving the housing crisis with a big project of building millions of homes. It's about energy.' Carney has made repeated references to both clean and conventional energy, the latter of which refers to fossil fuels like oil and gas. Carney has referenced 'decarbonized' oil and used the Pathways Alliance's proposed multi-billion dollar carbon capture project as an example of projects that could be considered for fast-tracking. 'Oil is carbon. There's no such thing as decarbonized oil,' Angela Carter, an associate professor of political science at Memorial University of Newfoundland, said in a phone interview. 'We need to be very, very careful about this definition of clean growth. If it's a project that contributes to sustaining and growing oil production, well, that's not clean growth. It's very, very, very simple.' Bloc Québécois House Leader Christine Normandin said it's too early to say whether her party will support the bill. First, they want the government to respond to their request to split the bill into two parts, one for interprovincial trade and one for major projects. 'In a sense, this is taking what Stephen Harper tried to do with C-38 and putting it on steroids … The problem with trying to take shortcuts is it has a tendency to backfire and to make the underlying conflicts worse than ever,' Winfield said. 'Look what happened: Northern Gateway died, Energy East went nowhere, it took extraordinary steps to get Trans Mountain done.' The biggest challenge for Carney's government will likely be navigating Indigenous opposition and constitutional rights, said Michael Wernick, former clerk of the Privy Council. Indigenous Peoples have the most 'legal ability' to slow things down, he said, adding that it is not unsolvable for the Carney government but will be a key hurdle. Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak voiced her concerns with the bill on Friday and called an emergency meeting on it this week. Onlookers and experts who care about climate are looking on with 'considerable uncertainty' because the bill could allow for massive progress to be made on an east-west electricity grid or fast-tracking renewable energy infrastructure, but that may not be the case, James Rowe, an associate professor of environmental studies at the University of Victoria, said. 'Given the political economy of Canada as the fourth largest oil producer in the world … it's more likely those real powerful forces are going to get their way — and projects that might otherwise have been stopped by regulatory processes and consultations … are going to get fast-tracked,' he said.


Winnipeg Free Press
8 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Unresolved questions require independent commission
Opinion Manitoba's ethics commissioner, Jeffrey Schnoor, recently released a report in which he concluded that former Progressive Conservative premier Heather Stefanson and two of her former cabinet ministers violated the province's conflict-of-interest laws after losing the 2023 election. They were accused of breaching the rules in an effort to approve the controversial Sio Silica sand mine during the short 'caretaker period' before the new NDP government was sworn in. Schnoor found that their actions 'lacked ethical and constitutional legitimacy,' but failed to identify what motivated them to act so recklessly. He says he found no evidence that any of the them acted for personal benefit but, if that wasn't the reason, why did they do it? MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Then-premier Heather Stefanson and finance minister Cliff Cullen announce the 2023 budget to media. Columnist Deveryn Ross says it's time to have an independent commission examine PC spending decisions. That's just one of many serious questions still swirling around the former government. Last week, Finance Minister Adrien Sala asked auditor general Tyson Shtykalo to investigate what went wrong with Manitoba Public Insurance's Project Nova technology project. MPI abandoned the program two months ago after a review estimated that total project costs had soared from $107 million to $435 million. The project was initially justified as an upgrade of MPI's digital capabilities, which would enable Manitobans to renew or amend their auto insurance and driver's licences online. It would also provide 'seamless connectivity' between MPI and repair shops. That was the hope back in 2020. Five years later, however, MPI Minister Matt Wiebe describes the program as a 'waste of taxpayers' money.' Where did all that money go, and why did MPI keep spending it? In April, the Kinew government asked Shtykalo to investigate an (almost) $100-million taxpayer-funded contract to build daycare facilities throughout the province. It alleges that the project, in which the province partnered with a company named JohnQ Public Inc., 'may not have followed normal provincial or municipal procurement practices.' Specifically, the government claims the contract enabled the previous government to funnel $2.8 million to Boom Done Next, a company owned by Marni Larkin. Larkin was the campaign manager for the Tories' 2023 doomed re-election campaign. How does a company earn almost $3 million on such a project? Two weeks ago, a CBC report revealed that the previous government gave an $18 million grant to JohnQ Public days before the 2023 provincial election was called. There was no public announcement of the funding, which was reportedly for a large land purchase in the RM of Ritchot to develop a proposed 'Winnipeg regional rail port.' Why the secrecy and rushed timing of the grant? In February, at a debate between PC Party leadership candidates Obby Khan and Wally Daudrich, Kahn alleged that Daudrich was the party's top donor for 12 years and accused him of receiving 'licensing permits up north under the table' from the previous government. Daudrich's company, Lazy Bear Lodge and Expeditions, first received approvals to operate off-road vehicle tours near Churchill in 2004. The total number of permits for all tour operators in the coastal plain of the Churchill Wildlife Management Area was limited to 18 between 1984 and 2020. Five years ago, however, the former Tory government reportedly approved two additional permits, both of which were awarded to Lazy Bear. Did Khan have inside knowledge that permits were improperly issued to Daudrich's company, or was his accusation simply bluster in the heat of the moment? There is no evidence that anybody acted improperly in these instances, let alone illegally, but there are many questions and few answers. Weekday Evenings Today's must-read stories and a roundup of the day's headlines, delivered every evening. The Kinew government and many Manitobans are counting on the auditor general to expose and explain the questionable conduct of the previous government, but their hopes may be overly optimistic. That's because Shtykalo has significant discretion as to which matters he chooses to investigate, and his office has limited resources. Even if he decides to review the issues referred to him, more than a year could pass before any reports are issued. That's neither good enough nor fast enough. The better, more efficient course of action is for the government to appoint an independent commissioner to investigate the many unresolved issues, and to give that commissioner the power to compel testimony and gather evidence if necessary. Manitobans deserve to know the truth. An independent commission is the best path to those answers. Deveryn Ross is a political commentator living in Brandon. deverynrossletters@ X: @deverynross