Manitoba ethics commissioner faults former premier for pushing mining project
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/05/2025 (316 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
WINNIPEG — A report by Manitoba’s ethics commissioner says former premier Heather Stefanson and two of her cabinet ministers acted improperly by pushing for the approval of a silica sand mining project.
The report says Stefanson, then-deputy premier Cliff Cullen and then-economic development minister Jeff Wharton tried to get approval for the Sio Silica project after the Tories lost the 2023 election, but before the new NDP government was to be sworn in.
Ethics commissioner Jeffrey Schnoor says their actions violated the Conflict of Interest Act and contravened a long-standing parliamentary principle that forbids outgoing governments from making major decisions in most cases.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Premier Heather Stefanson speaks at a press conference announcing a week of remote learning in Winnipeg on Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022. For Maggie/Carol story. Winnipeg Free Press 2021.
Schnoor is recommending penalties of between $10,000 and $18,000 per person, although the legislative assembly gets to make the final decision.
The mining project would have created thousands of wells over 24 years across a large swath of southeastern Manitoba, although only an initial phase was being considered for approval.
The NDP government rejected the project in February 2024, citing the potential impact on drinking water among other concerns.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 21, 2025.