Deep Sky could use some lessons in communication

Representatives from Montreal-based carbon-capture startup Deep Sky had a perfectly good opportunity at a town hall meeting in Pipestone on Wednesday night to address the growing concerns that area residents voiced over the company’s planned project for the region.

But by saying next to nothing, they left more questions than answers in their wake.

Last month, Deep Sky announced plans to build a commercial carbon-removal facility in southwestern Manitoba. As we have reported, the Rural Municipality of Pipestone and the Municipality of Two Borders have been described by the company as “promising” locations for the 100-employee facility.

In the first phase of that project, which would represent a $200-million investment, Deep Sky claims it could remove 30,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide directly from the air per year. At full scale, the plan is for a facility with annual removal capacity of 500,000 tonnes of CO2.

The province passed legislation last year that will allow for the storage of carbon dioxide, with regulations expected to be moved this fall. And Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew has told media that the regulatory framework will allow companies like Deep Sky to establish in the province and tap into federal tax credits to grow the industry.

But the process to construct such a facility must begin at the ground level, and there must be some buy-in from area residents and local municipalities for such a project to move forward.

It’s been reported that the company held an open house back in September that drew community members from both municipalities, with a promise by the company to return in late 2025 or early 2026 to provide more information.

“Our intention was that open house to be the beginning of our journey in terms of our engagement with the community,” Deep Sky’s vice-president of government relations and public affairs, Jason Vanderheyden, told discoverwestman.com in a recent interview. “We are coming back. We don’t know exactly when. We want to have new information to share hopefully about the hydro study and some of the geology work and hopefully have our site selected.”

It seems rather apparent, however, that area residents were not particularly satisfied with the information provided by the company in that first public meeting, and a grassroots movement within the region — aided by Climate Action Manitoba and a group called Grounded in Truth – Deep Sky Awareness — pushed for holding the town hall meeting in Pipestone on Wednesday evening.

Approximately 250 people showed up to discuss the project and its merits, and have their questions asked and concerns heard. It should not matter that environmental organizations had a role in organizing the meeting. This is precisely the kind of meeting that interested municipal officials who want to see new job creation in the region should attend with company executive in order to answer questions that they can address.

However, no municipal officials from either municipality bothered to show up at the meeting, and the two company representatives who did attend the town hall did not address the crowd in any meaningful way.

To his credit, the only politician in attendance that evening was Riding Mountain MLA Greg Nesbitt, who came to listen to the concerns as an audience member.

It’s a shame that the company was not more forthcoming with answers, as there remain some outstanding questions that should be addressed.

Earlier this month, an article by business and tech publication The Logic reported that a former Deep Sky executive named Phil De Luna told the magazine that Deep Sky’s plan to suck carbon from the atmosphere — known as direct air capture — lacked significant revenue streams to make it economically viable.

De Luna, who left the company in July to found his own green tech startup, also stated that the company’s method of carbon reduction is too slow and costly to have any significant effect on climate change.

Not only is direct air capture apparently expensive, The Logic reported back in May that Deep Sky co-founder Frederic Lalonde has been vague about the sources of electrical power needed for this energy-intensive process.

It’s worth noting that Shawn Day, the director of project development and community partnerships for Deep Sky, told the Sun that the company is still waiting on a feasibility study from Manitoba Hydro before announcing the location of its chosen site. Day also declined to answer questions regarding the impact of the project on the area’s water supply and its use of hydro power, saying the company is still working on “engineering specifics.”

In fact, the only thing that the two company representatives told local residents at the town hall meeting on Wednesday was that they’re not after municipal, provincial or federal funding to get started. Other than that, residents were told they could get their other questions answered by sending the company an email.

That’s not an ideal message to give to concerned citizens. Deep Sky could use a few lessons in communications and community outreach.

There may well be great potential for the company’s carbon-capture technology that would allow for a viable business and create local jobs in western Manitoba. Unfortunately for Deep Sky, few in attendance Wednesday night came out of the Pipestone Community Hall with that impression.

As a result of Wednesday evening’s ham-handed performance, the company has given locals the impression that its technology and business model may still be in the discovery phase. That’s not an ideal message to give the people who have some say into what gets built in their backyard.