Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - November 1, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba You can make a difference for Manitobans with cancer. 6{(y CancerCareManitoba � FOUNDATION Alf funds raised stay in Manitoba. DONATE TODAY cancercarefdn.mb.ca TOP NEWS A3 SATURDAY NOVEMBER 1, 2025 ● ASSOCIATE EDITOR, NEWS: STACEY THIDRICKSON 204-697-7292 ● CITY.DESK@FREEPRESS.MB.CA ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM Long Plain to lead review of Sio Silica sand mine proposal LONG PLAIN First Nation has signed a memorandum of understanding with Sio Silica Corp. to lead an Indigen- ous-controlled environmental review and consultation process for its proposed silica sand mine near Vivian. A news release from the First Nation said Friday the agreement establishes a framework for an independent process that incorporates Indigenous knowledge, en- vironmental values and community input. The First Nation is southwest of Portage la Prairie, about 150 kilometres west of Vivian. Long Plain emphasized the memo does not signal sup- port for the project, but said it ensures transparency, sci- entific rigour and cultural grounding to assess the impact of the controversial project that was rejected by the NDP government soon after it took office in October 2023. “Our Nation will always make decisions that protect our lands, waters, and the well-being of future generations,” said Chief David Meeches in the release. The Calgary mining company submitted a revised ap- plication to Manitoba’s Clean Environment Commission this week, and said it has taken into account concerns raised; it plans to drill fewer wells in a much smaller area. The company’s original project proposed drilling more than 7,000 wells over 24 years across a large area of southeastern Manitoba, extracting more than 30 million tonnes of high-purity quartz silica — a material used in semiconductors, solar panels, fibre optics and other tech- nologies. In its revised submission, the company proposes a smaller-scale operation with added measures to safe- guard water quality. Extraction would be phased in, reaching up to 500,000 tonnes annually by the fourth year. Water brought to the surface would be filtered, treated with ultraviolet light and returned underground, company documents say. The original proposal faced strong opposition from residents concerned about the effect on drinking water in the region east of Winnipeg. “This new project has been revised in consideration of the questions and concerns raised by the public, various Manitoba government departments and the CEC,” said company documents posted Tuesday by the agency. The project was entangled in controversy after Mani- toba’s ethics commissioner ruled that former premier Heather Stefanson and two of her cabinet ministers breached conflict-of-interest laws by trying to push its approval after losing the 2023 election. The commissioner did not find any wrongdoing by Sio Silica. Brokenhead Ojibway Nation, the closest First Nation in the southeast region, voted against partnering on the new project. Under the MOU, Long Plain will co-ordinate technical reviews, environmental analyses and community engage- ment for interested Treaty 1 Nations. Sio Silica president Carla Devlin said the company re- spects Long Plain’s leadership and commitment to pro- tecting the land. “That perspective is vital to a responsible and transpar- ent review process,” Devlin said in a release. A public report summarizing findings and recommen- dations will be released after the review, with Long Plain retaining full discretion to suspend or end its participa- tion if concerns arise or transparency standards are not met. Premier Wab Kinew said Monday the proposal will go through the assessment process at the Clean Environ- ment Commission, which is accepting public comments online. scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca SCOTT BILLECK Display in RM of Taché threatens rural officials on ‘sovereign land’ RCMP investigating macabre display M ANITOBA RCMP say they are investi- gating a disturbing display depicting threats toward elected municipal offi- cials outside a home in the Rural Municipality of Taché after receiving a pair of complaints earlier this week. The display, located on a Ste-Geneviève prop- erty on Municipal Road 41E, about 45 minutes southeast of Winnipeg, showed five life-sized dolls hanging by their necks from nooses on a makeshift gallows. Four of the dolls had differ- ent municipal ward numbers painted on, includ- ing wards two, four, five and six. One doll hanging from the centre was dressed in a red cap, crown and wore a dollar-sign neck- lace. The dolls also each had a letter attached which, combined, spelled “karma.” Beside the gallows, a sign hanging from a dummy dressed in a firefighter uniform read, “Taché Municipal Masters for Sale” and refer- enced the mayor, council and fire chief. The fenced-in property had various no-tres- passing signs, declaring the property as “sover- eign land.” “I don’t like to see things like this,” Premier Wab Kinew said at an unrelated event Friday afternoon. “I don’t think any of us want to see violent imagery or allusions to that. I know (Minister of Municipal and Northern Relations of Manitoba) Glen Simard has been reaching out to local leadership in Ste-Geneviève. We will offer support in the appropriate way. “No matter what the issue is, no matter how fired up you are about politics or policy, we’ve got to keep things calm, we’ve got to keep it re- spectful. You can find a way to articulate your objection, maybe even a personal criticism of a politician such as myself. But we don’t need to have a visual or something that is violent.” RM of Taché Mayor Armand Poirier and sev- eral of the municipality’s councillors declined to comment about the display Friday. However, Poirier said he has called a special council meeting for this afternoon and con- firmed that Simard had reached out from the province. In a statement issued Friday, the Association of Manitoba Municipalities said it’s aware of the unsettling display. “Such imagery is unacceptable and has no place in our communities,” the statement read. “The AMM strongly condemns any act that threatens or intimidates municipal leaders. Mu- nicipal officials are democratically elected to serve and represent their residents and deserve to do so safely and without fear. “In recognition of the growing challenges of intimidation and harassment facing elected officials, the AMM has been proactively de- veloping a toolkit to address misinformation, disinformation, and harassment in public life, which will be released soon to further support and protect members.” — with files from Matthew Frank and Gabrielle Piché scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca SCOTT BILLECK MATTHEW FRANK / THE CARILLON Five life-size dolls hanging from nooses on a Ste-Geneviève property on Thursday prompted a pair of complaints. ;