Meeting over controversial rural Manitoba silica sand project cut short after mayor calls police
CTV
A special meeting of council in rural Manitoba over a controversial silica sand project came to an abrupt end after the mayor cut the meeting short and had the police called.
A special meeting of council in rural Manitoba over a controversial silica sand project came to an abrupt end after the mayor cut the meeting short and had the police called.
Councillors and residents in the RM of Springfield were at the government office Tuesday evening for a special meeting of council. The meeting was held for councillors to vote on a zoning by-law amendment regarding the Sio Silica corporation – a company looking to extract silica sand and process it at a new facility near Vivian, Man.
The proposed project has sparked backlash from residents who are opposed to the project.
Back in 2022, Springfield's council voted against a zoning amendment that would allow this type of activity.
However, the company appealed to the municipal board, and on March 8, it ordered the rural municipality to amend the zoning by-law.
That was on the agenda Tuesday night – but council did not actually get that far.
The meeting, which CTV News was monitoring over Zoom, came to an abrupt end less than a half hour after it began, following a argument between Mayor Patrick Therrien and one of the attendees.
