Latest news with #WabKinew
CBC
14 hours ago
- Business
- CBC
Kinew cabinet uses order to dismiss appeals against Chinese miner's environmental licence
Wab Kinew's NDP cabinet has dismissed four attempts to appeal Manitoba's decision to let a Chinese-owned company continue mining critical minerals alongside a lake in eastern Manitoba's boreal forest. On July 16, Kinew's cabinet issued an order in council that allows Environment and Climate Change Minister Mike Moyes to dismiss appeals of an August 2024 decision to grant the Tantalum Mining Corp. of Canada a new environmental licence. Also known as TANCO, the Chinese-controlled company operates a cesium, tantalum and lithium mine at Bernic Lake, a small body of water located between Whiteshell and Nopiming provincial parks. The mine itself has operated on and off since 1929. The new environmental licence replaces one originally granted by the province in 1983. Sinomine Resource Group, which purchased the TANCO mine in 2019, applied for the new licence in order to continue mining ore and processing it at Bernic Lake — as well as to produce new forms of cesium at the site, once home to two thirds of the world's cesium deposits. The licence application did not include a proposal to drain Bernic Lake in order to create an open-pit mine, something the company mused about in a 2023 Globe and Mail story. There is a worldwide scarcity of cesium, a volatile element used in drilling fluids for oil and gas wells, medical imaging and maintaining time in atomic clocks, among other uses. During the licensing process, the province fielded 49 submissions about the application, mostly involving concerns about road safety and water quality downstream in the Bird River watershed, according to Manitoba Environment and Climate Change. The Kinew cabinet's order in council states those concerns were addressed during the licensing process. Four subsequent appeals involved the same concerns, prompting Moyes to propose dismissing them without holding public hearings, the order stated. "The issues raised by the appellants were similar to those raised during the public review period and were addressed during the environmental assessment process through licensing conditions," the order in council stated. The Kinew government did not make Moyes available for comment. In a statement, the minister repeated cabinet's assurance the concerns raised by the appellants have already been addressed. Dismissal not transparent or accountable: advocate Eric Reder, an environmental advocate who works as a campaigner for the Wilderness Committee, said this was not a transparent, responsible or accountable way for Manitoba to consider appeals under the Environment Act, even though he took no issue with the approval of the TANCO licence itself. Reder said the TANCO mine has a history of conducting its operations reasonably and properly, without creating excess waste outside of its Bernic Lake site. His issue is with the way Manitoba denies environmental appeals in general. He said the province does not name appellants or make their concerns public, does not respond to their concerns in a substantive manner and creates a hostile political environment for appeals in the first place. "The only recourse to appeal an Environment Act licence is to the same minister whose department issued the licence," Reder said. He suggested the province create an independent body to consider environmental appeals or hand that duty off to the arm's-length Clean Environment Commission. A spokesperson for Sinomine did not respond to a request for comment prior to publication. A spokesperson for the Bird River Cottage Owners' Association, several of whose members made submissions in opposition to the mine's new environmental licence, was not available to comment. In recent years, Kinew and his predecessor Heather Stefanson have touted Manitoba's critical mineral deposits as a strategic asset for the province. Nonetheless, the province has lagged behind most others when it comes to major mining, energy and forestry projects.
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Clean energy is the future — why are we investing in fossil fuels?
Opinion I don't know about you, but I have to say I'm a bit confused these days. In fact, in political terms, I really don't know whether I'm coming or going. Am I coming out of a fossil fuel-addicted world into a greener cleaner one, or going back to fossil fuels as the only default position to keep Canada financially afloat in the face of a fascist's tariffs? I know which direction almost 80 per cent of us want to be headed, but I'm not sure our provincial and federal leaders agree, given all this talk about gas and oil pipelines cutting through environmentally sensitive northern lands and mega-mining projects in Ontario's 'ring of fire' — peatlands that store a staggering 35 billion tonnes of the world's carbon. So I'm left asking — is this the only way we can cut loose from the U.S. and cope with a trade war, or are our leaders simply taking the easy way out? Easy in the sense that it's all too familiar, seems to be pragmatic and, at least in the short term, may more or less maintain our standard of living. In the somewhat longer term, it won't be easy at all, given that we live in a world that's already blown past the 1.5 degree Celsius mark above pre-industrial levels, and crossed several of the seven thresholds that measure the distance between a climate emergency and climate chaos. Given the latter reality, I find myself asking a couple of simple questions — why aren't Mark Carney and Wab Kinew talking about a clean energy revolution as a way to beat the tariffs and trade war? Why isn't Carney talking about a bolder vision, challenging the government to work together to retool Canada's economy and set our country up to become a world leader in clean energy and green technology? Now, maybe I'm naïve, and god knows I'm no economist, but it seems to me, as I've said before, that if Canada was able to blast forward from an agrarian based economy to an industrialized one in just six years during the Second World War, why can't we do the same now? I mean, we've got a lot of smart Canadians who would likely rise to the challenge and there are quite a few highly skilled Americans looking for a way out of the current political nightmare in their own country, who could be recruited to the cause. And transitioning to clean energy like solar and wind doesn't just make environmental sense, it's also a financially smart, given that renewable energy is now 41 per cent cheaper and just as efficient. It's also more secure, because as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently observed — 'There are no price spikes for sunlight, no embargos on wind.' In fact, countries like Denmark and Germany have already demonstrated that the transition to clean energy works by generating 50 per cent to 67 per cent of their power needs with solar and wind. Canada, meanwhile, is generating a paltry seven per cent to 11 per cent of its total electricity with alternate sources. This when Atlantic Canada is deemed to have some of the best wind power potential in the world and the Prairies have excellent prospects for solar. Not to mention the fact that clean energy technologies offer numerous business opportunities for economic growth, which also expands Canada's trade options. Just look at China where investments low carbon manufacturing as well as solar and EVs have created new and booming markets. And the irony is that the vast majority of Canadians want a renewable energy transition to happen. According to the Pembina Institute, even 70 per cent of Albertans are worried about their heavy dependence on oil and gas, and more than 80 per cent think their government should be planning for new opportunities for energy workers. Which suggests to me that most Canadians know the world is undergoing an energy transition and are worried that our country will be left in the dust by Europe and China where efforts to reach Net Zero are accelerating. Look, the truth is we don't have much time to get this done, given that climate driven, extreme weather events — from flash floods in Texas, to the massive forest fires in Manitoba — are accelerating. So instead of building pipelines and mining one of the world's largest carbon sinks, maybe we should be focused on investments that will bring Canada into an economically stable, low carbon future. Maybe it's time for our leaders to halt the fool's errand of looking to the past for short-term, carbon-heavy solutions, and start talking to Canadians about a just transition to clean energy. One that will guarantee a better, safer, more secure future for our grandchildren. Erna Buffie is a writer and environmental activist. Read more at
CTV News
2 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Manitoba, Saskatchewan invest in Churchill port as trade war drags on
The Port of Churchill, nestled along the shores of Hudson Bay in northern Manitoba, has become an important piece of the puzzle as the Canada-U.S. trade war rages on. Expanding operations in Churchill has taken on new urgency and has been part of the national discussion over the last few months. 'We're building trade-enabling infrastructure for the future,' said Chris Avery, president and CEO of Arctic Gateway Group, which owns and operates the Port of Churchill. The port is currently Canada's only Arctic seaport serviced by rail, offering access to Europe and destinations around the world. 'Building this trade-enabling infrastructure will further enable the vast resources we have in Western Canada (to reach) global markets,' said Avery. The Port of Churchill has a brief operating window each summer —about four and a half months — due to ice in Hudson Bay. However, Avery says a University of Manitoba study shows the port could remain open longer due to climate change. 'Given their study and given the data they've collected for the past 40 years, the sea lanes can probably be open right now, without icebreaker, up to six months of the year,' he said. 'Beyond that - icebreakers can help us lengthen the shipping season to almost year-round.' Last week, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe signed an agreement with Arctic Gateway Group to upgrade infrastructure and modernize supply chains. Saskatchewan will connect producers and exporters to the Arctic trade corridor, and Arctic Gateway Group will be expanding investment in port and rail assets. Churchill Port Port of Churchill workers support arrival of Arctic Supply Ship. (Arctic Gateway Group) Kinew said the deal between the two Prairie provinces is a positive step. 'It's really exciting for Manitoba,' he said. 'It helps us to unlock mining in the North, and more agricultural exports in the South.' In recent years, the federal and provincial governments have invested millions of dollars in both the rail line and the Port in Churchill to build up a proper trade route through the Arctic. In March, Ottawa and the Manitoba government committed nearly $80 million to finish work on the Hudson Bay Railway and continue redevelopment of the Port of Churchill. Premier Kinew at the time said the project would help with long-term economic security. 'The memorandum of understanding is a good reinforcement of what we have been thinking for some time,' said Barry Prentice, a professor of supply chain management at the University of Manitoba. The Port of Churchill has mainly been used for grain shipments in the past but began shipping critical minerals in 2024. Prentice says there is a lot of economic opportunity, not just for Manitoba, but also for Saskatchewan and Alberta to move products through the Hudson Bay. 'You want to move bulk products, especially those that are somewhat storable, and potash fits in that category, minerals, petrochemicals, and lumber too, because they do produce forest products as well,' he said. 'There are lots of things we can move through the port, in addition to grain.' Avery echoed Prentice's statement. 'We expect to have more products that originate from Saskatchewan, come through the Port of Churchill and be exported to global markets as well,' he said. 'So, we'll see that volume grow as we work together and build that traffic, and we'll see the volumes grow, and we'll see different types of commodities go through the port.' All the talk about breathing new life into the Artic comes as welcome news for those living in the North. Port of Churchill Arctic Supply Ship is seen here at Port of Churchill on July 14, 2025. (Arctic Gateway Group) 'It goes to show how much potential our area on Hudson Bay has for shipping, for contributing to Canada's GDP as a whole,' said Joe Stover, a longtime Churchill resident. 'It's good for the country, because it's obviously another outlet for being able to ship — and helps with some of these bottlenecks that you see logistically across the country.' Stover worked at the port for 10 years. While he's happy to see investment and renewed interest in revitalizing the port, he hopes words turn into action. 'Let's just hope that the pressure stays on and things actually get done,' he said. 'We hear lots, in the past — 'Oh, Churchill, it would be great if we could do this. Churchill, Churchill, Churchill. Potential, potential, potential.' Let's just really hope that now this is a dollars-to-donuts, boots-on-the-ground, actual work going to get done.' As for Avery, he said results will start to show in the short term — but the real focus is on building the future. 'We are definitely focused on the medium and long term as well,' he said. 'And building this trade-enabling structure — which will then build more trade and opportunities to export our resources and commodities to global markets.'
Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Manitoba byelection called in traditional Progressive Conservative stronghold
WINNIPEG – Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew called a byelection Friday that will test whether his NDP government's popularity can spread to a longtime Progressive Conservative stronghold. Voters in the Spruce Woods constituency will go to the polls Aug. 26 to choose a replacement for Grant Jackson, a Tory who resigned in March to run federally. Jackson garnered more than double the votes of his closest opponent in 2023, and the Tories normally get well above 60 per cent of the vote in the area. The New Democrats have been riding high in opinion polls, however, and have made a series of spending announcements in and around Spruce Woods in recent weeks. One political analyst said the byelection could be a race. 'I would say right now that I think the (Progressive) Conservatives probably still have a bit of the upper hand, given that history, but it's not beyond the realm of possibility that the NDP can win it,' Kelly Saunders, a political science professor at Brandon University, said in an interview. The outcome of the vote won't affect the NDP's majority in the legislature, where the party has 34 of the 57 seats to the Tories' 20. There is one Liberal and one Independent. But a win in Spruce Woods would give the NDP, whose seats are concentrated mainly in Winnipeg and the province's north, a breakthrough in the rural southwest corner of the province. The riding contains a part of Brandon, but most of its area consists of small towns and farmland. 'If (Kinew) can pull that off, then I think that would be a huge symbolic win for (the NDP) to show that in fact they are the government that can speak for everybody in this province,' said Saunders, who lives in Spruce Woods. Kinew announced spending on highways, housing, doctor training and other items in the lead-up to the byelection call. He told supporters in the area Thursday that the NDP is being more proactive than in past contests, when some areas of the constituency didn't have lawn signs. The Tories have also gone on the offensive. They have criticized Kinew for not calling the byelection earlier and have accused him of leaving the area without a voice. When Kinew pushed back against a reporter's questioning about the ongoing vacancy, the Tories turned it into social media fodder. The Tories have chosen Colleen Robbins, a longtime party volunteer for the race. The NDP have nominated Ray Berthelette, a former real estate agent who recently worked as an executive assistant to cabinet minister Glen Simard. The Liberals have selected Stephen Reid, a teacher in Brandon. The Tories have been in rebuilding mode since losing the 2023 provincial election. The NDP pulled off a major upset last year in winning a byelection in the Tuxedo seat in Winnipeg, which had always voted Progressive Conservative and had been the seat of two former Tory premiers. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 25, 2025.
Toronto Star
4 days ago
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Manitoba byelection called in traditional Progressive Conservative stronghold
WINNIPEG - Voters in a section of western Manitoba will go to the polls in a provincial byelection on Aug. 26. Premier Wab Kinew has called a byelection in the Spruce Woods constituency, which has been vacant since Progressive Conservative Grant Jackson resigned in March to run for federal office.
