Kinew cabinet uses order to dismiss appeals against Chinese miner's environmental licence

Kino’s cabinet rules to reject appeals of Chinese miner’s environmental permit
Environmental activist: Review process was not transparent and accountable

Kino’s NDP government has rejected four appeals against the Manitoba government’s decision to allow a Chinese-owned mining company to continue operating at a lake in the pristine forests of eastern Manitoba.

On July 16, Kino’s cabinet issued an “order in council” authorizing Environment and Climate Change Minister Mike Moyes to reject the applications without holding a public hearing. The applications were related to the August 2024 issuance of a new environmental permit for Tantalum Mining Canada, or TANCO. The Chinese-controlled company operates near Lake Bernic and mines resources such as cesium, tantalum and lithium.

The mine has been operating intermittently since 1929, and the new permit replaces one originally issued in 1983. Sinomine Resource Group, which took over the mine in 2019, applied for a new permit to continue mining and processing minerals and produce new forms of cesium at the site.

The application did not include plans to completely drain Lake Bernick to create an open-pit mine, although the company had hinted at such a possibility in an interview with the Globe and Mail in 2023. Cesium is one of the rarest elements in the world and is used in oil and gas drilling, medical imaging and atomic clocks.

During the permit review, the Manitoba government received 49 submissions, mostly concerned about road safety and water quality in the lower Boyd River watershed. According to the Ministry of the Environment, those concerns have been addressed in the final permit conditions.

The appeals focused largely on the same concerns, which is why the minister proposed dismissing them without a public hearing. The order states:
“The issues raised by the objectors were those raised during the public review period and were addressed through the terms of the environmental permit.”

The Kinnaugh government did not make the minister available for comment. In a statement, Moyes only reiterated that the objectors’ concerns had already been addressed.

Environmentalist criticizes lack of transparency in the review process
Eric Reeder, an environmental activist and member of the Wilderness Committee, while not opposing the new permit for the TANCO mine, called the objection process “non-transparent, irresponsible and undemocratic.”

He said the TANCO mine has a history of operating in an orderly manner and without causing any off-site waste, but his main complaint is the Manitoba government’s overall approach to rejecting environmental appeals. The government is not releasing the names of the protesters, providing a documented response to their concerns, or providing a political space for them to file a protest, he said.

“The only way to review an environmental permit is for the same minister who issued the permit to review the protest,” Reid said.

He suggested the government create an independent body to review the protests or delegate the task to the Independent Environmental Commission.

A spokesperson for Sinomaine did not respond by press time. A spokesperson for the Bird River Cottage Owners Association, some of whose members had objected to the new permit, was also unavailable for comment.

Manitoba has the second-lowest investment rate in mining, energy and forestry projects in Canada

In recent years, Kinnow and former premier Heather Stephenson have touted Manitoba’s vital mineral resources as a strategic asset for the province. However, statistics show that Manitoba lags behind most other provinces in implementing large mining, energy and forestry projects.

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