Manitoba approves silica sand project near Lake Winnipeg, with solar jobs coming to Selkirk

A silica sand mining project will move forward in a community east of Lake Winnipeg, led by a company that plans to create manufacturing jobs in the solar sector in the Interlake — but some opponents of the project say they're still not confident the work can be done safely.

Canadian Premium Sand was given approval to mine silica in Hollow Water First Nation and create a solar glass production facility in the city of Selkirk, the Manitoba government announced Wednesday.

"This is a hard-working community with a long and proud tradition and a blue-collar work ethic that also has an environmentally progressive leadership," Premier Wab Kinew said during a news conference in Selkirk, adding his government believes "in the power of good jobs to transform lives and to grow communities."

Kinew said the announcement is part of the NDP government's critical mineral strategy aimed at growing the low-carbon economy.

The mining and production facility are expected to bring in $2 billion in provincial taxes over a decade, or $200 million annually, according to a provincial news release.

Canadian Premium Sand has been pursuing the project for several years and received licensing approvals in 2019 and 2023, but faced delays and criticism over potential risks.

The company has indicated it plans to use silica sand extracted near Hollow Water in the production of solar glass at the Selkirk manufacturing plant, the province said.

Canadian Premium projects it will be able to make up to 800 tonnes of the glass — used in solar panels — daily at what the province says will be the only low-carbon solar patterned glass plant of its kind in North America.

Construction could bring between 600 and 700 temporary jobs, while the mining and production facility are expected to generate 30 jobs near Hollow Water and 250 in Selkirk, the province said.

Selkirk Mayor Larry Johannson said the production facility aligns with ongoing efforts to transition municipal services to greener alternatives.

"This green initiative will be to Manitoba what oil and gas was to Alberta in the past," said Johannson. "This is going to be the future."

Environmental appeals dismissed

Two appeals tried to stop the projects last year, but were ultimately dismissed after the NDP government did "months of careful review" of the environmental licences, said Environment and Climate Change Minister Tracy Schmidt.

"We listened to those who were in favour and we listened to those who had concerns, we worked with experts to walk through every detail, and throughout this we continued to hear that these projects are safe and environmentally responsible," said Schmidt.

"I am confident these projects will be done responsibly and safely."

The project will also support the transition away from fossil fuels, she said.

But Hollow Water resident Lisa Raven said she was "saddened" by the news.

"It would be sad to see Manitoba taxpayers paying for the destruction of the land, the destruction of the lake," said Raven.

She is with Camp Morningstar, a group of land defenders along the east side of Lake Winnipeg that has opposed silica mining in the area for several years.

Raven confirmed Camp Morningstar filed the two appeals.

She said potential risks associated with silica contamination on Lake Winnipeg present a "huge concern." She also worries about the health hazards employees could face working with silica.

Raven questioned whether Canadian Premium Sand has a proven track record of conducting such an operation safely.

"They don't have a track record, they don't have a history of right relations with the community," she said.

"So there is nothing to look at in terms of who are they and what their reputation is. We're going to discover that along the way and probably the hard way."

'Case study' on 'doing environment licensing wrong'

The Wilderness Committee called the province's decision controversial and questioned whether the environmental assessments associated with the licensing took into account cumulative effects beyond the life of the mine.

"A silica sand mine next to the community of Hollow Water still has the same health risks and environmental problems it did five years ago, only now we're being sold the project as a critical mineral and clean energy operation," Eric Reder, a campaigner with the Wilderness Committee, said in a statement.

"This industrial project is another case study on how we are doing environment licensing wrong in Manitoba."

Canadian Premium Sand CEO Glenn Leroux said some of the concerns raised by critics in the past were "blatantly false" or dealt with through the application process.

"The experts within the regulatory regime challenge companies like ourselves, and we have to prove everything: we can't just make a statement, we have to prove it," he said.

"I get the people would express concerns, but quite frankly, by the time you're done that process, those concerns have all been addressed."

He said Manitoba's silica sand deposits are considerable and the company hopes to kick-start an "industry unto itself" in the province.

Hollow Water and the community of Seymourville have inked agreements with the company to ensure they're involved along the way, the province says.

The Canadian Premium Sand project is unrelated to another proposed sand-drilling project in Manitoba that has become mired in controversy.

The company Sio Silica is awaiting provincial environmental approval to drill as many as 7,200 wells in southeastern Manitoba over the next 24 years in an effort to extract up to 33 million tonnes of ultra-pure silica sand.

The NDP government's caucus chair has filed two ethics complaints over allegations the outgoing PC government tried to ram through approval of the Sio Silica proposal following last fall's provincial election.