Manitoba premier vows public inquiry into former PC government efforts to approve sand-mining licence

Premier Wab Kinew says Manitoba will hold a public inquiry as soon as 2026 into the former Progressive Conservative government’s post-election efforts to approve an environmental licence for sand-mining company Sio Silica.

The premier said his NDP government will probably strengthen Manitoba’s lobbying rules in the wake of efforts in 2023 by outgoing premier Heather Stefanson and two of her cabinet ministers to green-light the mining proposal during the two-week caretaker period between the PC's election-night loss and Kinew’s swearing-in ceremony.

Manitoba ethics commissioner Jeffrey Schnoor ruled in May that Stefanson, former deputy premier Cliff Cullen and former cabinet minister Jeff Wharton violated conflict of interest legislation by improperly pushing to approve the Sio Silica licence.

The Manitoba Legislature subsequently voted to mete out an $18,000 fine to Stefanson, and to require Cullen to pay $12,000. A $10,000 fine was given to Wharton, who remains the PC MLA for Red River North.

Kinew said while Schnoor’s report was thorough, there remain questions the ethics commissioner could not answer.

“Mainly motive. Like, why did they do this?” the premier said Friday in an interview in his office, adding Schnoor was “not able to look into financial holdings,” among other matters.

“Like, what was so important about this thing that, you know, they would risk it all for that?"

Kinew said his government is developing terms of reference and searching for a commissioner for a Sio Silica inquiry that could start in 2026 and take two or three years to conclude, wrapping up “maybe before the next election.”

The next provincial vote is slated for Oct. 5, 2027, and Kinew on Friday downplayed talk of calling an election in 2026.

The premier suggested the inquiry will recommend changes to provincial lobbying rules he calls weak.

“Is our lobbying framework strong enough in Manitoba to make sure that you, the average person, know what's going on with your government officials, the people that you affect in our democracy? I think we can do better,” Kinew said.

“What transparency do you need into the dealings of lobbying to government, so that you know that your democracy is strong, your democracy is respected?”

3 public inquiries proposed by Kinew

A Sio Silica inquiry would be the third public inquiry promised by Kinew.

A provincial inquiry into the procurement and construction of Winnipeg’s police headquarters is underway. Public hearings are slated to begin in February 2026.

Kinew also promised a pandemic response inquiry but backtracked on the plan, stating in 2024 that while a “thorough” review is needed, Manitobans want to move on from the pandemic.

Paul Thomas, professor emeritus of political studies at the University of Manitoba, said he believes provincial lobbying rules need to be strengthened — but questioned the value of a public inquiry into the PC efforts to approve the Sio Silica proposal.

“On balance, I think it’s a bad idea,” Thomas said Saturday in an interview from his home in Winnipeg.

While Thomas called the actions of Stefanson’s outgoing government “a sleazy set of events,” he said a Sio Silica inquiry would be politically motivated to provide Kinew with more ammunition to assert, as he did often this fall during question period, that the Manitoba Progressive Conservative Party is corrupt.

“The government, as part of its political motivation, will presumably try and design the inquiry in such a way to have maximum impact in terms of bringing forward negative information about some well-connected Progressive Conservatives,” the veteran political observer said.

Thomas also said an inquiry may give the NDP government an excuse to say no as it deliberates a second effort by Sio Silica to obtain an environmental licence to extract sand from below the surface of the R.M. of Springfield.

The NDP government denied Sio Silica's first application in 2024.

“An inquiry might be intended to give them some cover if they have to say no to a project coming forward again,” he said. “They will explore this hidden background world where private and public elites interact with one another and come to making a deal, which may or may not be in the public interest.”

Thomas also said the inquiry could face a legal challenge, as investigations undertaken by Manitoba’s ethics commissioner cannot be revisited by the Manitoba Legislature or its committees.

Thomas said while a public inquiry into the same subject is possible “in a strict legal sense,” approving the inquiry will lead to complaints about double jeopardy.

The PCs, he said, could argue they went through this already when the legislature voted to fine Stefanson, Cullen and Wharton.

“There was reputational damage done to the politicians and to the corporate officials involved with this. So now, what are you doing here, except trying to serve a narrow political aim?” he said.

CBC News reached out Monday morning for comment from Stefanson, Cullen, Wharton, PC leader Obby Khan and Sio Silica president Carla Devlin.

Thomas also questioned the cost of a public inquiry for a government that is expecting to post a $1.6 billion deficit at the end of this fiscal year.

The going cost for a public inquiry can be $2 million, he said.

“You might say if you're on the inside, ‘Well, this is peanuts.’ But I keep watching the news and I just see a million here, a million there, a few more million here, there. When do we stop and say, you know, it's adding up, folks?”

‘Almost certainly’ no election in 2026

Also on Friday, Kinew all but ruled out calling an early election in 2026 — something he wouldn’t reject in November.

“I can almost certainly say we're not going to the polls in 2026,” he said.

Kinew said he’s focused instead on improving health care, expanding the Port of Churchill and  addressing the cost of living.

The premier said his government is still exploring new ways to reduce grocery prices and hopes recent legislation banning grocery stores from using real estate deals to restrict competition will lead to more stores and lower prices.

Kinew said sending cheques to Manitobans could fuel inflation and said next year’s budget will include more measures to address affordability.

“If we do a little bit more on competition, maybe a little bit more in terms of the direct costs that people are facing,” he said, “hopefully we can move the needle for the average person out there.”

Kinew also said the province aims to double the number of people it moves from homeless encampments into permanent housing in 2026. Approximately 130 Manitobans made this transition this year.

The premier said the province remains committed to opening a supervised consumption site at 366 Henry Ave. in Winnipeg despite pushback from some area residents and business owners.

Kinew said his government is open to incorporating some of their feedback, including potential financial supports for affected businesses.