Opposition forms to First Nation’s bid for wind farm
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WINNIPEG — A group of residents in southwestern Manitoba is concerned a proposed wind farm could impact their way of life.
RM of Lorne resident Bill Harrison said the Swan Lake First Nation proposal to build 30 to 35 wind turbines would disturb day-to-day life and have adverse environmental and economical impacts.
“Agriculture is a major consideration in Manitoba, it’s a major provider of food. The wind towers, they take up two to three acres a piece just to install. And then the service roads and the actual spot where the towers are planted is more too,” Harrison said Thursday.
An area farmer seeds his crop on fields between Manitou and St. Leon as windmills from the Manitoba Hydro wind farm rotate in the background. A proposed First Nation wind farm project faces opposition. (Phil Hossack/Winnipeg Free Press files)
The RM of Lorne, located 145 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg, has a wind farm in the St. Leon area that was built in 2006 and expanded in 2011. The 200-square-kilometre wind farm has 73 turbines that generate the energy needs of more than 40,000 homes, according to the province.
Swan Lake First Nation’s proposed project would be located near the town of Swan Lake, to the west of Somerset, and would have the capacity to power more than 70,000 homes annually.
While Harrison is in favour of renewable energy sources, he said the project should be located elsewhere.
“Put it on Crown land or somewhere north of Lake Manitoba, we have enough going on here,” he said.
Manitoba Hydro spokesperson Peter Chura said the proposed project is part of the province’s Affordable Energy Plan, which calls for Hydro to purchase up to 600 megawatts of wind energy from majority Indigenous-owned organizations. Currently, the project is in the request for proposals stage.
Swan Lake First Nation Chief Jason Daniels wouldn’t comment on the specifics of the project, saying a company has not been awarded a contract yet. He said a winner should be announced in July.
Harrison started a petition and formed a group, Rural Environment Watch Manitoba, to oppose the wind farm.
Harrison claimed there has been little consultation and only large agricultural producers have been advised about details of the project.
Innergex Renewable Energy, a Quebec-based electricity generation company, is involved in the project. Adeline Thames, senior associate of development at Innergex, said in an emailed statement a public open house was held in Somerset on June 3.
The statement said Innerge has communicated with local landowners and the RM of Lorne since early 2025, and if there’s a contract with Manitoba Hydro there will be more opportunities for public input.
» Winnipeg Free Press