POTENTIAL IRREVERSIBLE HARM TO AQUIFERS FROM SAND MINE

Before its second proposal has been licensed controversy continues over Sio Silica sand mine after PM Carney announcement

“I think it’s a reckless statement without knowing if the project’s even going through. This is our drinking water over here.”

– Independent MLA Bob Lagasse

At the 2026 G7 Leaders’ Summit, in Évian, France, Prime Minister Carney announced a series of new initiatives to strengthen collective security and secure critical mineral supply chains. During this year’s Summit, Canada welcomed 13 recent or new partnerships and initiatives with more than eight countries that will unlock more than $5 billion in capital expenditures for projects across the Canadian critical minerals value chain. These projects include:

•  Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs)between Sio Silica (Canada) and solar technology providers and manufacturers RCT Solutions (Germany) and NanoXSolar (United States) to support Sio Silica’s high-purity silica project in southeast Manitoba. The company is also partnering with RCT Solutions and the Southern Chiefs Organization (Manitoba) to build a fully integrated solar manufacturing hub in Manitoba.

WATERTODAY has been following the trail of Sio Silica (formerly CanWhite Sands) since 2020 when citizens expressed concerns on the negative impact of their water

At that time the Calgary- based company was looking to create a $80M project that would extract and process sand in the RM of Springfield, MB. The project faced fierce opposition from members in the community, who voiced concerns over the the facility’s impact on the environment and the Sandilands aquifer that provides water to number nearby communities.There was also concern about dust particles in the air that contain silica, which can cause silicosis, an incurable and deadly lung disease.

 WT also reported that in February 2024 Premier Wab Kinew and the new NDP Government of Manitoba decided not to grant Sio Silica a licence to extract silica sand from the aquifer that could potentially affect a large swath of Southeastern Manitoba’s drinking water.

In the news release issued by the Prime Minister’s Office on June 17, 2026, PM Carney said he met with Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the summit in France and that both welcomed “new investment partnerships” between the two nations, including two in Manitoba to “support a high-purity silica project, to extract 99.9 per cent-plus pure silica sand, highly valued for manufacturing solar panels and semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, and defence-related technologies.”

It said the second partnership involves Sio Silica, RCT Solutions and the Southern Chiefs Organization to build a fully integrated solar manufacturing hub in Manitoba.

Sio Silica issued a press release which stated that its “strategic partnerships and collaborative initiatives” are designed to reinforce Canada’s position as a global leader in critical minerals and advanced manufacturing strategy. It has signed MOUs with Germany-based RCT Solutions GmbH and U.S.-based NanoXSolar for the potential “offtake” of high-purity silica from “Sio Silica’s world-class project in southeast Manitoba,”

 The proposed project is working its way through the approval process.

 Related:

 Prime Minister Carney secures new partnerships in defence and critical minerals at the 2026 G7 Leaders’ Summit