Case Study

for

The Province of Manitoba:

Natural Resource Development

and

Potential Conflicts

Michelle Shephard and Farjana Ferdous

December 8, 2015

for Shirley Thompson

Information Management

Natural Resources Institute – University of Manitoba

1

Introduction: Defining Government Policies and Documents

We’ve identified three central documents to guide our work for the GIS

Mapping project: The Manitoba Government’s Speech form the Throne, the 2015

Manitoba Budget, and Manitoba’s Northern Development Strategy.

The Province of Manitoba’s Speech from the Throne focused heavily on

the building of infrastructure, especially in the north of the Province. For the

entire Province emphasis was placed on roads, bridges, and highways with a

corresponding budget of $5.5 billion, two years prior, and an expectation that it

would create 60,000 jobs. In this current year, an additional $4.5 billion was

committed to that same priority (Government of Manitoba – Speech from the

Throne, 2015, p.3). The government projects a corresponding benefit of up to

60,000 jobs as a result of this investment. Specifically, they identify that the

“highways to the north are crucial corridors for business and trade (p.4)”, and that

the Port of Churchill is a “gateway to the North (p.5)” to access the shipping

routes. To further augment transportation, they will also invest in a new Rail

Park, called CentrePort Canada, to be located in the City of Winnipeg (p.2).

With an eye on development, the Province has also identified the boreal

forest as a natural resource to be protected. Placing emphasis on Pimachiowin

Aki, the proposed UNESCO, World Heritage Site, the Province promises to

continue to work with the East Side First Nation communities involved in the

project. Included in that promise is a commitment to land use planning for

developing sustainable economies with First Nation communities (p.6).

Protection is also extended to parks, wetlands, and wildlife, and organizations

associated with maintaining these resources (p.6).

In the second of four priorities, the Province of Manitoba’s Financial

Management Strategy also identifies the importance of investing in infrastructure

to ensure a strong economy and increased employment (Government of

Manitoba - Financial Budget, 2015, p.8). As a result of this investment, as

2

predicted by the Conference Board of Canada, the Province expects increases

over the next five years in the GDP (2%), exports ($5.4 billion), and average real

incomes ($1,100) (p.12).

The Province of Manitoba’s Northern Development Strategy was originally

launched in 2000 as the framework to proceed with economic development in the

northern reaches that was intended to ultimately benefit the entire Province,

identifying the North as “rich with abundant resources (Government of Manitoba,

Northern Development Strategy, n.d.)”. This document also emphasizes the

importance of investment in infrastructure to generate economic gains. This

document directs significant focus on the East Side Planning Area of the

Province, transportation improvements, as well as hydro infrastructure and

mining exploration (Government of Manitoba, Northern Development Strategy).

Generally, people living in Canada’s northern areas are the first to

experience impacts on the land and water when there is development of any

kind. They also experience a draining of those resources with minimal benefits

accruing to them. It is from this perspective that we present a series of maps.

Explanation of GIS Maps

The GIS maps produced for this case study illustrates the amount of

investments made by the Province as potential for natural resource development.

Additionally, the maps reflect upon the areas of sensitivity that will be impacted

as development takes place. Areas of development we’ve decided to highlight

include: mining, hydro development, forestry operations, oil production, tourism,

and agriculture.

3

Base Maps

We began with a base map that included Provincial Boundary map, the

highways and First Nation Reserves. We chose to add in the areas of sensitivity

to the next map, upon which we over-layed the areas of development, one at a

time.

For our base map we included First Nation Reserves because we felt that

the First Nation communities were the first to be impacted by development. We

chose not to include Municipalities/Local Government Districts that identified

some communities in the North because it would have made the maps too busy

and confusing. We also included the roads because that is a critical element of

infrastructure that is required for accessing, bringing in supplies and a workforce,

and transporting the natural resources once extracted. We would have included

airports, the rail lines and the Port of Churchill, had we been able to locate a

shape files with that information.

Areas of Sensitivity

We then chose to add on a layer that identified the areas of sensitivity.

Besides First Nation Reserves those areas included Protected Areas, Provincial

Parks, the Traditional Use Planning Area on Manitoba’s East Side, a Special

Conservation Area in the far north, and Areas of Special Interest that have been

identified by the Province. Parks, protected areas and conservation areas are

protected from most of the intrusive developments such as mining, forestry,

hydro, and oil and gas industries through legislated processes. The Traditional

Use Planning Area evolved from the Manitoba Government’s engagement with

First Nation communities regarding land use and resource planning process.

The area depicted on the map is associated with Pimachiowin Aki (The Land

That Gives Life), an eco-tourism development attempting to be designated as a

World Heritage Site through UNESCO. The Special Conservation Area in the far

north is intended to protect gull nests and piping plovers (Government of

4

Manitoba, Manitoba Land Initiative, 2015). Even though Areas of Special Interest

are not officially identified as protected, consideration is given to “proposed

ecological reserves, unprotected wildlife management areas, and other possible

protected areas (Government of Manitoba, Areas of Special Interest, 2015)”,

especially when development is being considered. We felt it was important to

include all these areas of sensitivity in all our maps because they are areas with

a high potential for conflict.

Mining and Exploration

In consideration of the potential for natural resource development, mining

is a high priority area for the government. In the Northern Development Strategy

they identified $19.5 million for 558 exploration projects. The Province’s focus on

economic development also identified an additional $182 million that was

generated in the Province because of this investment. The Province also

expects this industry to generate $1 billion in its operations (Government of

Manitoba, Land Access for Mineral Exploration, 2015), generate 9% of exports,

and 6.5% of GDP (Government of Manitoba, Minerals Policy and Business

Development, 2015) to pay for health, education, social, and environmental

programs.

Our Mining and Exploration map identifies that the largest area of

exploration area is in the northwest corner of the Province and close to Provincial

Parks, while the other areas of exploration are scattered across the middle of the

Province, many of which are close to First Nation Reserves, as well as special

areas of interest. Most of the mining sites are located near Lynn Lake on the

West side and middle of the Province as well as on the East Boundary, North of

Winnipeg. All mining sites are close to Provincial Parks, which are considered

protected areas. Mining is not permitted in any of the parks or protected areas

we have identified on the map. This situation produces tension between

stakeholders of mining and protected areas because the Province is wanting to

secure the tenure for mines to bring them to production.

5

Hydro Generation and Watershed Planning

Another high stake resource development area is hydro generation.

Manitoba is highly invested in this source of revenue as it generates 25% of

energy, and 99% of electricity used in the Province. It also exports almost half of

what it generates (Government of Manitoba, Energy Division, n.d.). Manitoba

Hydro claims that hydro electricity is a green source of energy. Most

communities in Northern Manitoba would not agree with this statement. They

experience flooding in their traditional lands, as well as highly degraded quality of

water due to the developments.

Our maps illustrate that the greatest impact in Manitoba is on the Churchill

River due to hydro structures for water diversion, and structures on the Nelson

River used for generation of hydroelectricity. The government of Manitoba has

identified large tracks of land for water power reserves to account for the land

that is impacted by these water power developments. We had difficulty obtaining

a shape file for the proposed and existing hydro dams in Manitoba, which would

have been an excellent addition to our data base. An call to Manitoba Hydro did

not result in them sharing a map with us. All other sources of inquiry and

searches were also of no avail. We were also not able to acquire a water basin

map for Manitoba, depicting the water flows. We also felt that this would have

increased our capacity for analysis, should we have been able to access a shape

file.

In southern Manitoba where there is a higher density of population, the

Government of Manitoba has invested in Integrated Watershed Management

Plans that are initiated and implemented by Conservation Districts. Many

stakeholders in an area participate in the plans to determine the use of land,

water, and other resources in a watershed area. With intensified development in

the North, it is advisable that integrated watershed management plans be

initiated in those areas. First Nation communities would be the most likely

participants in most instances. It is possible that with the development of land-

6

use planning by the Manitoba government, watershed planning will be a natural

development of the communities in an effort to protect the water.

Agricultural Region

Agriculture is another industry that has a great deal of impact on water

resources. It has been identified as having the greatest impact because of

manure from pasture animals, runoff from the agricultural fertilizers, and erosion

into freshwater sources such as lakes and riverbanks. It is also an industry that

is important to the Government of Manitoba as its contribution to GDP is between

4.4% and 4.8%. As of 2011 there were 22,315 farm operators working on 18

million acres in the southwestern section of the Province (Government of

Manitoba, Agriculture Statistics, n.d.). This industry is operating in much the

same area as the oil fields. There is also a high density of roads in this area. It

is very logical that the Conservation Districts are operational with their Integrated

Watershed Management Plans to mitigate impacts on the land and the water

from these competing industries.

Forestry OperationsForestry Operations in Manitoba are in a state of decline. The maps

indicate that there are only two operations with Forest Management Licenses in

Manitoba, TOLKO, operating out of The Pas, and Louisiana Pacific, based in

Swan Lake, Manitoba. The Forest Management Units are areas where allowable

harvests are determined. The industry is heavily regulated and managed by the

Ministry of Conservation and Water Stewardship. Our map also identifies that

there is some overlap between forestry operations and mining operations in the

Lynn Lake area, as well as with the agricultural region. Forestry operations are

also located in some areas of sensitivity and overlaps Provincial parks and

protected areas. Integrated Watershed Management Plan areas are also

operational in the area occupied by forestry operations. The potential for conflict

7

exists with these overlaps so careful planning with all the stakeholders is

necessary.

Oil Fields:The wells and oil fields are located in the far southwest corner of

Manitoba. There is some overlap with agricultural areas, but otherwise, there are

no competing industries. There has been significant exploration over the years

however this is an industry that has slowed overall. The map shows all the wells

drilled, including those abandoned and dried up.

Conclusion:The Manitoba Speech From the Throne, Financial Management Strategy,

and the Northern Development Strategy all provide the same message. The

importance of development of natural resources in Manitoba for its economic

viability cannot be overstated, nor can the importance of the investment in

infrastructure to access those resources. What we have to remember as we’re

developing the resources is the impact this is having on the natural world and the

people living in those areas. There are many areas of sensitivity for very good

reason. To avoid conflict between us, maintain a sustainable land base, and

have our natural resources provide the resources we need to enjoy a high quality

of living, we must manage our resources carefully and respectfully by means of

careful consideration and good communication with each other. Good planning

processes are of the utmost importance.

8

Bibliography

Government of Manitoba. (n.d.). Aboriginal and Northern Affairs, Northern

Development Strategy (NDS). Winnipeg, MB: Retrieved from the internet

November 20, 2015, http://www.gov.mb.ca/ana/info/nds.html.

Government of Manitoba. (2015, December 8). Administrative Boundaries, Core

Maps - Data Warehouse, Manitoba Land Initiative, Conservation and

Water Stewardship. Winnipeg, MB: Retreived from the internet, December

8, 2015, http://mli2.gov.mb.ca/adminbnd/index.html.

Government of Manitoba. (n.d.). Agriculture Statistics, State of Agriculture in

Manitoba - Highlights. Winnipeg, Manitoba: Retrieved from the internet

December 2, 2015, https://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/market-prices-and-

statistics/yearbook-and-state-of-agriculture/pub/

state_of_ag_highlights.pdf.

Government of Manitoba. (n.d.). Energy Division - Hydroelectricity - Manitoba

Municipal Government. Winnipeg, Manitoba: Retrieved from the internet

November 29, 2015, http://www.gov.mb.ca/ia/energy/initiatives/hydro.html.

Government of Manitoba. (2015, April 30). Manitoba Budget 2015 - Financial

Management Strategy. Winnipeg, MB: Retrieved from the internet,

December 2, 2015,

https://www.gov.mb.ca/finance/budget15/papers/summary.pdf.

Government of Manitoba. (2015, November 12). Mineral Resources - minerals

policy and business development - Manitoba mineral secctor profile.

Winnipeg, MB: Retrieved from the internet November 12, 2015,

http://www.manitoba.ca/iem/busdev/sector/index.html.

9

Government of Manitoba. (2015, November 12). Mineral Resources, Land

Access for Mineral Exploration and Development. Winnipeg, Manitoba:

Retreived from the internet, November 12, 2015,

http://web33.gov.mb.ca/mapgallery/mgm-md.html.

Government of Manitoba. (2015, November 16). Speech from the Throne –

Province of Manitoba. Winnipeg, MB: Retreived from the internet

November 18, 2015,

http://www.gov.mb.ca/asset_library/en/thronespeech/throne_speech_2015

.pdf.

Government of Manitoba. (2009, June 11). The East Side Traditional Lands

Planning and Special Protected Areas Act. Winnipeg, MB: Retrieved from

the internet November 29, 2015,

https://web2.gov.mb.ca/laws/statutes/ccsm/e003e.php.

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

Data Referenced

Provincial Boundary:

This is the boundary of the province of Manitoba. It represents the

Manitoba/Ontario boundary, the Manitoba/Saskatchewan boundary, the

Manitoba/Nunavut boundary and the International boundary. For the International

Boundary, the graphical data was computed by converting the official published

Nad27 marker positions for the boundary into NAD83. And for the other three

boundaries, the graphics were created from original boundary survey

measurements.

(Geomatics Services/Remote Sensing, Conservation and Water Stewardship,

Manitoba Land Initiative, Publication date: 2001-08-08)

Protected Areas:

Protected areas are land, marine and freshwater areas, where logging, mining,

hydroelectric development as well as oil and gas development are prevented

through legal means. It includes all or part of lands designated as provincial

parks and park reserves, wildlife management areas, national parks, provincial

forests, traditional use planning areas and ecological reserves. It also includes

private lands protected through Memorandums of Agreement with the Nature

Conservancy of Canada, the Manitoba Naturalists Society, and Ducks Unlimited

Canada.

(Protected Areas Initiative, Parks and Protected Spaces Branch, Manitoba

Conservation and Water Stewardship 2015)

18

Provincial Parks:

The digital boundary layer of Manitoba Provincial Parks was created in 1997. The

boundaries of this layer have been created by using best available maps and

Director of Survey Plans. The main objectives of creating the provincial park

system is

(a) conserving ecosystems and managing biodiversity

(b) preserving identical and representative natural, cultural and heritage

resources

(c) providing outdoor recreational and educational opportunities and experiences

in a natural setting

(Parks and Protected Spaces Branch, Manitoba Conservation and Water

Stewardship 2015)

Special Interest Area:

This layer named as "Special Interest Area" comprises all or parts of lands of

Manitoba that should be protected. Special Interest Area includes unprotected

wildlife management areas, proposed ecological reserves, and other candidate

protected areas. These areas represent the enduring features found within a

natural region that still need to be captured to achieve adequate representation.

These areas should be studied for discussion purposes since they are not

protected in any formal manner.

(Protected Areas Initiative, Parks and Protected Spaces, Manitoba Conservation

and Water Stewardship 2015)

19

Traditional use planning areas:

The East Side Traditional Lands Planning and Special Protected Areas Act are

aimed to encourage First Nations and Aboriginal communities in engaging in land

and resource planning in designated areas of Crown land that they have

traditionally used. According to this Act, parts of Crown Lands of provinces can

be designated as a “planning area” or “special protected area”. Manitoba

Conservation and Water Stewardship receive requests from First Nations and

Aboriginal communities to designate planning areas by regulation under the Act.

(Traditional Use Planning Areas: Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship,

Lands Branch April 2013)

Special Conservation Area:

The administrative boundary files for special conservation area includes Aquifers,

Agro-Ecological Resource Areas (ARA), Basins, Conservation Districts,

Ecological Reserves, Environment Regions, Federal Electoral Districts, Health

Regions, Highway Districts, Natural Ecological Regions, Natural Resources

Districts, Natural Resources Regions, Risk Areas, Rural

Municipalities, Rural Planning Districts, School Divisions etc. Our map illustrates

an ecological reserves.

(Manitoba Department of Conservation, Wildlife Branch, 2000)

Highways:

The digital representation of Highway Network in Manitoba indicates highway

number and highway identity. This data was corrected using 1:60,000 digital

20

ortho aerial photography dated from 1991-1998. GPS data, CAD files and 50cm

imagery have been used to update the linear features on a yearly basis from

2007-2013.

(Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation, Planning and Design Branch,

Geographic & Records Management Section. Publication date: 2013)

Agriculture:

The map charts the amount of land used for crops, fallow and pasture in 

Manitoba's agriculture region.

(Agriculture, Food and Rural Development .Government of Manitoba. Retrieved

from http://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/land/index.html)

Forest Management Licence Areas:

Forest Management Licences are provided according to the Forest Act to ensure

a continuous supply of timber to the forest industry. A Forest Management

Licence is granted for a fixed period of time (not more than twenty years) and can

be renewed for further periods. The licence describes the terms and conditions

associated with the information of land upon which trees may be cut, the volume

of wood that may be harvested etc. There are currently three Forest

Management Licences in Manitoba. The Manitoba government carries overall

responsibility for forest renewal and timber management on Crown Land.

21

(Manitoba Conservation, Forestry Branch, 20150422, Manitoba's Forest

Management Licence Areas (FML's): Version 3: Manitoba Conservation, Forestry

Branch, Winnipeg, Manitoba)

Forest Management Units

Forest Management Units are defined as forested area with common forest

conditions that are managed in a similar pattern. Several forest management

units form a forest section. Forest inventories are studied to determine

permissible harvest limits of softwood and hardwood tree species within each

Forest Management Unit.

(Manitoba's Forest Management Units (FMU's): Version 4)

Water Power Reserves

The development of water power in Manitoba impacts the province's Crown

Land. As a mechanism to minimize impact on other resources, the Province has

created a water power reserve under the Manitoba Water Power Act.

(Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship, Manitoba Land Initiative,

Metadata date: 2008-10-03)

Integrated Watershed Management Plan

The map is the unique reflection of a number of stakeholders working together to

plan for the protection of land and water.

22

(Integrated Watershed Management Plan, Water Stewardship Division,

Conservation and Water Stewardship)

Mineral Exploration and Existing Mining Sites

The layers used in this map show the access of mineral exploration and

development in Manitoba. It highlighted the licensed mineral exploration areas as

well as the existing mine sites.

Mining is the second leading resource sector and very important for provincial

economy. But logging, mining, development of petroleum and natural gas is

strictly prohibited in protected areas since these activities adversely affect the

habitat

(Manitoba – mineral resources – land access for mineral exploration and

development. Retrieved from http://web33.gov.mb.ca/mapgallery/mgm-md.html)

Oil Field Boundaries and Well Locations

This layers used in the map shows the location  and boundaries of all currently

designated fields and the present status of well locations.

(GIS Map Gallery, Geographic Information System, Manitoba Mineral Resource,

2015).

Method: Most of the shape files we used for layering the maps are taken from

Administrative boundary of Manitoba Land Initiative (MLI). Some other shape

files of highways are taken from "Transportation" section of MLI. The shape files

of well locations and oil field boundaries are used from GIS map gallery of

23

Manitoba Mineral Resources. Shape files for existing mine sites and mineral

exploration licence are collected from GIS map gallery of Mining and Quarrying

from Geo-science department of Manitoba Mineral resources.

24