Advocates sound alarm over mining exploration in caribou habitat
Wildlife advocates are sounding the alarm over provincially funded mining activities they fear will put Manitoba's threatened caribou population at risk.
Earlier this month, the province announced it would be giving $300,000 to NiCAN, a Toronto-based mineral exploration company.
The provincial dollars will be used to explore mining claims in an area inside the Grass River Provincial Park near Snow Lake in northern Manitoba.
It's an area that the Wildlife Committee – a wildlife advocacy group – said is also home to boreal caribou herds, a threatened species in Manitoba.
"Boreal caribou are very sensitive to disturbances. In some cases, the science shows that they'll move up to five kilometres away from a disturbance and not use that area anymore," said Eric Reder.
"The caribou are going to get disrupted, and every time we have disruption for caribou we see a fall-off in the number of caribou. They're already on the edge."
A provincial spokesperson told CTV News the Grass River Provincial Park is classified as a natural park with land-use categories including resource management use. The province issued a fly-in-only drilling program for NiCAN.
Natural Resources Minister Jamie Moses confirmed there is no heavy equipment, no bulldozers and no roads being developed with this project at all.
"All wildlife populations were considered with the issuing of this permit, including the caribou," Moses told CTV News. "After all that, it was deemed to have a very minimal impact on the caribou, and with additional protections in place we feel like we will be able to protect the caribou population in this region."
He said there are safeguards in place to protect the caribou, such as a requirement that the company stops work if caribou are observed within 500 metres of an exploration site.
The province also said site mitigation and restoration after work is complete are also important aspects of park permit requirements.
In an email to CTV News, NiCAN President and CEO Brad Humphrey said the company, which does early-stage mining explorations, is not undertaking any mine development activities at this time.
"NiCAN takes its responsibilities seriously and follows strict protocols everywhere that it operates, following, and in many cases exceeding, permit requirements and guidelines," the email reads.
But Reder worries this may not be enough to protect the caribou.
"By the time you've seen the caribou, you've already caused a problem," he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'The root cause': Canada outlines national action plan to fight auto theft
The federal government is launching what it calls its 'national action plan' to combat auto thefts, which will include stronger penalties for thieves, and increased information sharing between police agencies, government officials and border enforcement.
What is BORG drinking, and why is it a dangerous trend? An expert explains
If you've been to a party lately and haven't seen someone drinking a BORG, you're likely not partying with college students.
The world's best airline is paying staff a bonus of 8 months' salary
Singapore Airlines will reward its employees with a bonus worth nearly eight months of salary, a person familiar with the matter told CNN on Friday.
Michael Cohen says he stole from Trump's company as defence presses key hush money trial witness
Michael Cohen testified Monday that he stole tens of thousands of dollars from his ex-boss Donald Trump’s company, an admission defence lawyers hope to use to undermine Cohen’s credibility.
Red Lobster probes "endless shrimp" losses after bankruptcy filing
U.S.-based restaurant chain Red Lobster has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a Florida court after securing $100 million in financing commitments from its existing lenders, the company said on Sunday.
'Next man up': Canucks coach, teammates bracing for Game 7 without Brock Boeser
Questions about how the team is going to handle the absence of star winger Brock Boeser from a do-or-die game seven dominated pre-game interviews with the Vancouver Canucks coach and players Monday morning.
Katy Perry sings goodbye to 'American Idol'
Katy Perry said her goodbyes on 'American Idol' after seven seasons. On Sunday night’s live 'idol' season finale, a medley of Perry's hit songs were performed, including 'Teenage Dream,' 'Dark Horse' and 'California Gurls.'
U.S. Supreme Court rejects appeal from former Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal by a Canadian-born former Guantanamo detainee who was seeking to wipe away his war crimes convictions, including for killing a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan.
Woman, 35, in critical condition after her truck collided with a Via Rail train near Montreal
A 35-year-old woman is in critical condition after the pick-up truck she was driving was struck by a Via Rail passenger train Monday morning in Quebec's Monteregie region.