Mega-project stopped in its tracks
Federal agency shuts down next phase of East Side Road
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/08/2016 (2772 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
One of the province’s most ambitious and costly mega-projects is in limbo after federal regulators found more than 100 flaws in its environmental impact statement.
Concerns about the $3-billion, 30-year East Side Road project’s environmental effects have been echoed by the province’s wildlife and fisheries branch and in a recent consultant’s report for the Manitoba Metis Federation.
The Pallister government refused to talk about the issue or disclose any plans, funding commitments and the status of its response to concerns of the federal agencies.
The next phase of the project, which is part of the planned 1,000-kilometre all-season road in northeast Manitoba, was anticipated to begin construction in November, the environmental statement said.
The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency has told the Manitoba government no shovels can hit the ground until an environmental assessment is done.
That won’t happen until the Manitoba government responds to multiple questions, concerns and clarifications the agency requested.
A letter sent in June to the East Side Road Authority — a Crown agency now under the umbrella of Manitoba Infrastructure — from the federal agency states that “gaps” were found in the report, making it impossible to determine the adverse effects the road could have on the environment.
The environmental impact statement was prepared by Winnipeg-based consulting firm Dillion Consulting and submitted to the federal agency in January, which is required for the federal environment minister to make a decision.
“The proponent cannot proceed with the project until the agency has completed the federal environmental assessment and the minister has issued her decision,” agency spokesman Christian Vezeau said in a prepared statement.
Vezeau said the project is “paused,” meaning while construction cannot continue, the feds can work on their assessment as the province prepares a response.
Since 2009, the road authority has been working to build a permanent network connecting Berens River and other First Nations on the east side of Lake Winnipeg — more than 36,000 people — to southern Manitoba.
The next phase would involve a 94- kilometre extension from Berens River to Poplar River over the next eight years. The 156-km stretch to Berens River from Provincial Road 304 is under construction.
Issues that need clarification or further analysis include concerns raised by the agency about the small sample size of fish data collected, a lack of mitigation plans for the permanent destruction of instream fish habitat, lack of clarity on how much of the area’s boreal woodland caribou will be disturbed by the construction and a lack of inclusion of local Métis or Hollow Water First Nation people in the study of socio-economic impacts.
Government documents show the province’s wildlife and fisheries branch expressed dismay the authority did not consult with the branch when choosing the alignment for the road extension.
The road will be built in an area with a high population of moose and woodland caribou (which has been federally labelled as a species at risk) and will cover 33 water crossings.
The branch notes if the alignment moved five kilometres away from the Poplar River, the adverse effects to moose population would be mitigated. It notes that despite the impact statement saying there would be a minimal disruption to the moose population, evidence says otherwise.
“Based on our experience in Manitoba, and discussions with our counterparts in other jurisdictions, we know this to be incorrect. We can expect (with a high degree of certainty) that a new (access service road) will lead to increased hunting access, increased moose harvests and the eventual disappearance of moose in the vicinity of the new access route,” the branch wrote in reaction to the environmental impact statement.
Meanwhile, a Guelph, Ont-based consulting firm, Shared Value Solutions, produced a 40-page report for the Manitoba Metis Federation.
It concluded that “insufficient environmental protection planning and followup program information” has been shown by the East Side Road Authority. It pointed to several gaps in data relating to the effect on fish habitats and monitoring of the aquatic environment.
For the second time in two days, the province denied a request for an interview with Infrastructure Minister Blaine Pedersen on the topic of the East Side Road project.
In a prepared statement, Pedersen said the government is reviewing all aspects of the East Side Road Authority as it awaits the publication of the auditor general’s report.
“No decisions have been made regarding any specific stretches of road,” Pedersen said in response to questions about the timeline for the next phase.
kristin.annable@freepress.mb.ca
History
Updated on Thursday, August 25, 2016 10:39 PM CDT: Corrects cost of project