Kinew sets sights on opening up Manitoba mining opportunities

Premier Wab Kinew unveiled a new slogan on Tuesday: “Mine, baby, mine.”

The provincial government wants to cut mining regulations to speed up development, Kinew told business leaders at a Manitoba Chambers of Commerce event in Winnipeg.

“We just got here. We’ve been spending a lot of time on the health care,” he told the crowd. “I think we’re now at the stage where it’s like, ‘Okay, any regulation in the mining space that is not conducive to advancing health and safety or respecting the constitution … is it benefiting the society?’”

Mining is key to growing Manitoba’s economy, he said. He later told reporters government staff will look at processes — such as documentation being done with pen and paper — and examine both prospecting and development. Environmental concerns will be considered, he said.

Kinew has been vocal about shipping minerals through the Port of Churchill in northern Manitoba.

Permitting is one of the biggest challenges for businesses, said Chuck Davidson, president of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce. It might take up to 18 years to create a mine in Manitoba, he added.

“(Mining is) a huge economic opportunity that we see for not only northern communities, but the Indigenous communities in the North,” Davidson said.

Kinew said Saskatchewan’s GDP grew as it ramped up mining. Both Russia and China – “global competitors” — have aggressive timelines to build infrastructure, he added.

However, when asked by Davidson, Kinew didn’t say the Port of Churchill would handle liquefied natural gas shipments by 2030 — a timeline he’d previously said Ottawa wanted to hit. Instead, the premier said the deepwater port could see the “next generation” of infrastructure.

“In the future, I think you’ll probably see energy production, mineral production and a very sophisticated port operation in Churchill,” Kinew told the crowd.

Kinew also hinted at the next Manitoba trade offices to open: one in Mexico and another within the European Union. The NDP opened a Washington office last year. It announced one for India last month.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com

— Gabrielle Piché