Silica processing plant plans hit snag as RM of Springfield council vote defeats development proposal
Council member abstains, suggesting she was threatened over possible vote in favour of development deal
Opponents of a proposed silica sand mining operation scored a win after a motion before council in the rural municipality of Springfield was defeated Monday, though it remains unclear how the decision will impact development moving forward.
If approved, the resolution would've seen the RM enter into a development agreement with Alberta-based Sio Silica to build a silica sand processing plant in Vivian, Man., about 50 kilometres east of Winnipeg. Two councilllors voted for, two against, and one abstained, rendering the resolution defeated.
"This is great news as now the public will be able to participate and present to the municipal board, who the document is handed off to, as Sio will likely ask them into the process, as the RM could not conclude with a [development agreement]," Coun. Mark Miller said in an email to CBC after the vote.
That result came about three hours into a council meeting considering two motions related to the mining operation: the development agreement and a zoning bylaw amendment.
The meeting was closed to the public but broadcast virtually, and included two councillors deploying "delay tactics" to stymie the council vote process, Mayor Patrick Therrien said in the meeting.
Ahead of the meeting, Springfield councillors Andy Kuczynski and Miller held a news conference outside the council office in Oakbank, Man., where a crowd of about 100 opponents renewed calls to quash the municipality's involvement in the project over concerns the mining method poses a threat to groundwater quality.
"If we haven't got groundwater, what have we got? The land is worthless. You can grow grain on it from rainwater but you can't drink the water, so livestock farming, chicken, the whole thing [would be] history," Murray Leonard, 83, who has lived in the municipality since the late 1940s, said ahead of the council meeting.
Kuczynski and Miller said they wanted an extension and for council to delay voting on the zoning and development deal until the public could have a closer look at the agreement, and the municipality could seek more expert opinion on risks.
"It's being done inaccurately with improper information and it's irresponsible to put this forward," Miller said during the council meeting.
Media and the public were barred from attending the council meeting over what the mayor and Coun. Melinda Warren described as safety concerns for staff.
A public meeting last week got heated and drew a police presence, with law enforcement advising council to end the meeting prematurely.
On Monday, the five-member council narrowly voted through amendments to a local zoning bylaw that would, in theory, allow for Sio Silica to build the processing plant.
Kuczynski and Miller voted against both resolutions while Mayor Therrien and Coun. Glen Fuhl voted in favour of both.
Warren voted in favour of the zoning amendments but abstained on the development agreement. That came after she broke into tears earlier in the meeting over what she said was a threat she received linked to her voting choices.
Warren and others said there were concerns for staff in the office following last week's public meeting. Police were again at the building Monday. The abstention left the decision in a tie, which rendered the resolution defeated, Therrien said at the end of the meeting.
Therrien told CBC News the RM would not be providing comment on the matter Monday.
It's the latest development in a contested plan by Sio Silica that has been evolving over the past four years or so.
Sio has previously said mining activity could bring in billions of dollars to Manitoba's economy. They also insist the activity won't harm the environment.
The company wants to drill up to 7,700 wells east and southeast of Winnipeg over 24 years to extract an estimated 33 million tonnes of ultra-pure silica sand that is located about 50 metres down.
The extracted slurry of sand and water would be piped to a processing facility, which was referenced in the development agreement. Silica is used in the production of semiconductors, solar panels and new batteries.
The Clean Environment Commission still has to render a decision on that proposal, which is expected this week. Then the decision goes to Manitoba Environment Minister Kevin Klein who will have final say.
That issue is related but separate from the land use and development agreement issues voted on by Springfield council on Monday.
Province's involvement
Some residents have also taken issue with how the process is unfolding with involvement from the province's municipal board.
Council was initially reluctant to make land use changes that would need to be pushed through to accommodate drilling plans. But the province's municipal board, which has the power to override decisions made by elected officials in municipalities, ordered the municipality to make the land use changes.
Mayor Therrian said ahead of the vote that a "delay is not an option." He repeated that council's "hands are literally tied … we have an order to comply."
The Association of Manitoba Municipalities has come out against the municipal board having the power to override decisions made by elected municipal officials.
A spokesperson with Manitoba Municipal Relations Minister Andrew Smith's office said last week the board was formed to provide independent reviews of appeals, applications and referrals.
Asked about next steps on the proposed mining project given council voted down the processing plant development agreement Monday, Smith's spokesperson Brant Batters said "next steps are in the hands of the applicant and the municipality."
James A. Mercury, legal counsel for Sio Silica, said in a statement that Sio and staff with the rural municipality worked together in recent weeks in compliance with municipal board order.
"Sio is deeply disappointed in the outcome of today's meeting and the events over the past several days," Mercury said in a statement late Monday night.
"There is no place for threatening comments. The motion to approve the agreement was defeated only as a result of reported threats to Councillor Warren and that is extremely concerning."
Miller said he and Kuczynski may also seek a referendum "to prove to the mayor that people are against this project."
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With files from Bartley Kives