WINNIPEG – The Wilderness Committee is sounding the alarm over a breach of privacy by the Manitoba government, which is allowing Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Co. (Hudbay) to collect personal contact information for people who oppose their new provincial park mine.

“This is astonishing,” said Eric Reder, Campaign Director for the Wilderness Committee. “If publishing people’s contact information isn’t a violation of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA), it is definitely a violation of the trust people have in government.” 

People who contacted the Environmental Licence branch of the government during the public comment period for Hudbay’s new Reed Mine project in Grass River Provincial Park have been subsequently contacted by the company, whose operations they object to.

The personal contact information for those people who object to the mine has been published on the Manitoba government website in the Environmental Licence review section. In other environmental reviews, including those in British Columbia or assessments facilitated by the federal government, personal contact information for people who submit comments is redacted in published copy. For this project, however, Hudbay has been able to collect people’s personal data, and has begun contacting them directly.

“It’s easy to see how people would feel intimidated by this,” said Reder. “Manitobans are contacting their government about how they think we should manage our public lands and waters, and then they are personally lobbied by this corporation. This will put a real chill on public engagement, which this process is supposed to encourage.”

Today the Wilderness Committee sent a formal letter of complaint and inquiry to the Manitoba Ombudsman, the Manitoba government, the PC Caucus of Manitoba, and the Liberal Party of Manitoba, asking that they investigate this breach and determine whether or not it violates the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA).

“The Environmental Licensing process in Manitoba needs to be fixed,” said Reder. “This is one more failing component of a broken system which impairs meaningful public engagement.”

“We need to see an apology to all of the citizens whose trust has been violated,” said Reder. “Finally, we need to see the government reject the licence for this short-sighted provincial park mine.”