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Write Wild - Provincial Park Threatened by Peat Mining Operation

Submitted by sven on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 00:52

Sun Gro Horticulture Canada Ltd, a private multinational corporation, has applied to the Manitoba Government for a license to strip mine peat in Hecla / Grindstone Provincial Park.

The Hecla / Grindstone area is a series of islands and peninsulas in the south basin of Lake Winnipeg, 175 kilometers north of Winnipeg. SunGro is asking for a license to operate a 531-hectare peat mine inside Hecla Park—the Hay Point Peat Mine—close to the shore of Lake Winnipeg, for the next 45 years.
The government is asking for public comments on this application, and will be accepting them until February 3, 2012.

Peat is created in Manitoba bogs over centuries, by the slowed decomposition of sphagnum mosses in an acidic, anaerobic environment. Peat is mainly used in gardening as a soil additive and conditioner. Peatlands are the world’s largest storehouse of soil carbon and provide important ecological services, such as groundwater recharge and pollutant filtration. Although peat has been mined for decades, there is still no way to restore a peat bog, as peat takes centuries to create, and the original ecology of the area is not restored.

Mining for peat, like all mining operations, is a dirty business. Dry peat creates airborne dust problems that will be noticeable in the area. This mine will also affect water levels and water quality at the mine site and in Lake Winnipeg. The mine will kill local populations of rare plants, and disrupt local animal habitat. In short, the mine will destroy the sensitive ecology of the bog area inside a provincial park.

In the summer of 2011, the Manitoba government enacted the Save Lake Winnipeg Act. The Act included a moratorium on all new peat leases within the Lake Winnipeg watershed, in order to prevent this exact type of operation. That peat mining is listed in the Save Lake Winnipeg Act clearly illustrates the destructive and unnecessary nature of this mine. Unfortunately, the Act does not apply to the numerous existing quarry leases.

Please take the time to send a personal letter to the Environmental Assessment and Licensing Branch of the Manitoba Government, as well as the Conservation Minister, expressing your opinion of this project.

Some points to consider:

  • There should be no mining in parks, period. Our parks should be protected from industrial destruction, just as most parks around the world are. Parks are for conservation and recreation.
  • Lake Winnipeg is the most endangered great lake in Canada, with disconcerting water quality issues. Peat bogs are a natural water filtration solution, that improves the health of the lake. The recently enacted Save Lake Winnipeg Act banned more peat quarry permits. We should not allow this project, only a few hundred meters from the shores of Lake Winnipeg, to proceed.
  • Undisturbed boreal peat bogs store a vast amount of carbon, and the preservation of boreal peatlands is recognized as a globally important mechanism to mitigate climate change. It is not in the public interest to remove this essential planet protection tool.
  • Peatlands take centuries to form, and as such are not a renewable resource. It is currently not possible to restore peat bogs after mining ends. Allowing this mine will permanently alter the ecology of this provincial park.
  • In concluding your letter to government, ensure that you express your opinion on whether mining and mineral exploration should be banned in all provincial parks.

 

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