Premier’s consultation claim on flood-channel outlets questioned:
Pallister has chided Ottawa for "changing the yardsticks" — but regulator filings show Manitoba is ignoring a federal directive 18 months ago to meet with reserves. winnipegfreepress.com/local/premiers… #wfp
Pallister has chided Ottawa for "changing the yardsticks" — but regulator filings show Manitoba is ignoring a federal directive 18 months ago to meet with reserves. winnipegfreepress.com/local/premiers… #wfp
Manitoba has indeed contacted First Nations and Métis groups. Below is an explanation of the premier's claim of having "approaching 600 meetings." Issue is some communities Ottawa said must be heard out are decrying scant communication; regulator issued warning this summer.
Manitoba sent the regulator 2,300 pages of assessment. But one of the regulator's key concerns — impacts on the Nelson River communities — is only addressed in passing, with the province giving Hydro data to crunch on water levels, but no look at contaminants/erosion/new species.
The project also isn't under Bill C-69, despite the premier's claim.
MB Infrastructure's own submissions place it squarely under the previous CEAA 2012 regime, and the new bill isn't mentioned anywhere in the filings. If feds didn't grandfather in, vetting could've been tougher.
MB Infrastructure's own submissions place it squarely under the previous CEAA 2012 regime, and the new bill isn't mentioned anywhere in the filings. If feds didn't grandfather in, vetting could've been tougher.
The premier's claim about moving yardsticks surrounds the regulator adding more communities to the consultation list and upgrading some as most impacted, over three letters. Manitoba hasn't consulted some of those on original list, as well as added/prioritized communities.
Update: Manitoba paid Stantec $3.5M for channel-outlets report that fell short of numerous regulator demands. Province says review is regular process and updates are part of that contract with Stantec, which it told not to speak with media winnipegfreepress.com/local/many-sho…
While Manitoba insists this is part of a regular process and that it didn't botch the submission, the regulator's 27 pages of shortcomings had suggested Manitoba "ensure references to figures are accurate."
Another update in this saga, by @KevinRollason: Interlake chiefs say province still hasn't met with them, despite flood-channel outlets slated to be built in their own backyard. (Feds told province they'd need to meet back in March 2018.)
winnipegfreepress.com/local/first-na…
winnipegfreepress.com/local/first-na…
Ottawa's regulator listed the Interlake communities in this March 2018 notice to the province (Part 2, 5.1) iaac-aeic.gc.ca/050/evaluation…
