Regional RCE Americas Meeting 2016 "Renewable Energy and Sustainable Education"

1. STRATEGIC INTERVENTIONS OF AN RCE IN
EVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
THE CASE OF THE YANCOAL POTASH MINE
IN SASKATCHEWAN, CANADA
5TH RCE CONFERENCE OF THE AMERICAS
CURITIBA, BRAZIL, OCT. 21, 2016
(10:15-10:45 AM)
Roger A. Petry, Co-coordinator
RCE Saskatchewan &
Associate Professor of Philosophy, Luther College
roger.petry@uregina.ca
Note: many slides contributed by the Havelock
Special Projects Committee and RCE SK Sustainable
Infrastructure Working group

2. PRESENTATION OVERVIEW
1. RCE Saskatchewan Projects
2. Context of Yancoal Proposal
(Geographic, Economic, Regulatory,
Ecological)
1. Initial Community Response
2. Engagement of RCE SK (Local,
Provincial, Federal)
3. Where we are today

3. SASKATCHEWAN, CANADA

4. ECOREGIONS OF SASKATCHEWAN
RCE SK: MIXED MOIST GRASSLAND AND
ASPEN PARKLAND

5. RCE SASKATCHEWAN FLAGSHIP PROJECTS
(SEE GLOBAL RCE PORTAL 2016 REPORT)
 Saskatchewan Ecomuseum Initiative (SEI;
www.facebook.com/groups/saskecomuseums/)
 Sustainability and Education Policy Network
(SEPN; www.sepn.ca)
 Voluntary Sector Studies Network (VSSN;
www.luthercollege.edu/vssn)
 Reducing Pesticide Use: Plant Health Care Model
 RCE SK ESD Recognition Event
(http://www.rceskrecognitionevent.com/)

6. PROPOSED YANCOAL SOUTHEYPOTASH MINE:
RCE SK ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ASSESSMENT INTERVENTION
Mineral Resources
in Saskatchewan
(Source:
Encyclopedia of
Saskatchewan)

7. SASKATCHEWAN AND POTASH
 Share of World Potash Reserves: Canada (46%),
Russia (35%), Belarus (8%), Brazil (3%), China
(2%)

8. ECONOMIC CONTEXT
Saskatchewan economy adversely
impacted by decline in resource
prices
 Oil: low prices and transportation cost
 Potash: low prices and erosion of
marketing monopoly
 Agriculture
Loss of Canadian Wheat Board: lower price
for farmers and increased transportation
costs

9. ECONOMIC CONTEXT
Province struggling financially:
 Clawback of committed funds last
year
 Budget and financial update not
presented during spring 2016
election
Promoting “SK Advantage” (Low tax,
low regulatory environment, pro-
traditional resource dev’t)

10. YANCOAL SOUTHEY POTASH MINE PROPOSAL
 Yancoal: state-owned company of the
Government of China
 http://www.yancoal.ca/
 Proposal to build a solution potash mine
 Extract 2.8 million tonnes of potash/year for
100 years (Yancoal Environmental Impact
Study (EIS),
http://www.environment.gov.sk.ca/2015-
003EISMainDocument, p. E-6)
 2200 f.t.e. workers/year during construction;
350 ongoing operations (EIS E-11)

11. SK REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT
 Specific Projects Traditionally Reviewed
by Canada Environmental Impact
Assessment Act
 Prime Minister Stephen Harper in 2012
seeks to fast-track development
 Many EIA become a provincial
responsibility even for large projects (like
a potash mine)
 2015 SaskWater “pre-applies” for water
use permits even prior to projects known
by communities

12. PRAIRIE REGION: NORTH AND SOUTH
SASKATCHEWAN RIVER

13. ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS:
WATER, WATER, WATER…
Diefenbaker Lake: Water
Storage from Rocky
Mountains/Glacial Melt

14. Inflow of water to Lake Diefenbaker
(source of Buffalo Pound water) declined
~30% over 100 years
Lake
source: Prairie Provinces Water Board (courtesy David Sauchyn)
Volume(dam3)

15. Saskatchewan Aquifers

16. Yancoal
Exploration
Campaign
(2013-2014)
TIMELINE OF DEVELOPMENT
Yancoal Offers to
Purchase Land
(Jan – March 2014)
Yancoal Poster
Board Info
Sessions
(March 2015)
Yancoal Submits EIS
to Ministry
(Summer 2015)
Yancoal Hires Community
Relations Officer
(October 2015)
Community/RM
Demand Public
Forum/ Meeting
(July 2015)
Land Owners
Request Formal
Meeting
Yancoal DECLINES
(March 2014)
Yancoal Attends
RM Meetings
(September 2015)
HSPC Formed
(September 2015)
RM Hires
Professional
Services
(December 2015)
Yancoal Opens
Local Office
(January 2016)
Community Lead
Info Session
(January 2016)
2013 2014 2015 2016

17. SITE OF PROPOSED
YANCOAL-SOUTHEY POTASH MINE
Havelock: a thriving
agricultural community
Within 5 miles of proposed core
facility:
 326 people, including 80
children
 129 family farms
 Wildlife, including burrowing
owls, ducks, fish, and large
game
12 family farms within 1
mile of core facility
3 miles from proposed core facility

18. IMPACT ON AREA RESIDENTS: YOUNG FAMILIES WITH HIGH
POPULATION DENSITY (FOR RURAL SK!)
Population Count = 129 Homes within 5 miles = 326 People
(Red Dot = 1 family farm)
Strasbourg
Grid
# 6 Highway

19. AREA RESIDENTS EXPRESS CONCERNS
Havelock Community Hall, May 11, 2016

20. RESIDENTS’ KEY CONCERNS
1. Lack of participatory engagement with
those directly impacted
2. Impact on drinking water sources– use of
Buffalo Pound water and drilling through and
under Hatfield Aquifer
3. Salt spray contamination of surrounding
land and downstream water
4. Lack of adequate study and planning on
impacts and development of contingency plans

21. 1. LACK OF PARTICIPATORY PUBLIC
ENGAGEMENT BY YANCOAL
 never hosted participatory meetings with
impacted residents, only come-and-go poster
presentations. Participatory meetings hosted
only by the RM and volunteers.
 RM of Longlaketon received no assistance
from the province with evaluation of the
proposal.
 no partnership created with those most
impacted in community
 First contact with individual farmers included
offers to purchase land; requirement to respond
within 10 days and sign a confidentiality
agreement.

22. 2. IMPACT ON DRINKING WATER
 0.5 cubic metres of fresh water
per second drawn from Buffalo
Pound Lake for coming 100 years.
 Source of water for capital city of
Regina (Pop. 260,000)
 Equivalent to approx. ½ water use of
City of Regina (Pop. 260,000)
 No other water sources researched,
including non-potable water from
Quill Lakes
 Contamination risk to the
Hatfield Aquifer, source of
pristine drinking water to farms
and communities. Mine requires
drilling through and beneath the
aquifer.

23. 3. SALT SPRAY CONTAMINATION
 40 – 80 meter salt pile will
spray salt to the
surrounding area
negatively impacting
human, animal, soil,
farmland and plant health
 Loon Creek, major
tributary to Pasqua
Lake, is 3 miles from the
proposed tailing ponds and
will be impacted by salt
and other contaminants. I love my
lake
I love the
Qu’Appelle
River Valley

24. Photo: DepositPhotos.com
White = waste salts from Mosaic Potash mine salt pile
Mosaic mine site 2011
5 km
SALT SPRAY CONTAMINATION

25. 4. LACK OF ADEQUATE STUDY &
PLANNING
 Lack of detail on project design,
monitoring in contingency planning in
the case of contamination of water and soil
 Lack of federal impact study. Prior to
2012, a project of this size would have
triggered a comprehensive study under the
Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.
Mention of potash mines was eliminated from
this Act in 2012.
 Lack of demonstrated commitment to
sustainable practices – poor understanding
of impact on fish, wildlife, water, land, air,
traffic and public safety, heritage and culture

26. FURTHER STUDY NEEDED: SINKING
(SUBSIDENCE) OF LAND
 Sinking (Subsidence) of land will cause changes to water
drainage, structural damage to existing buildings and
use of land.
 Planning required to address/mitigate impacts
 Written commitments needed to give landowners
reassurance they will not lose property value or have
buildings damaged as a result of subsidence.

27. K+S POTASH MINE TRAFFIC ROAD 1
(HIGHWAY 11 TO CORE FACILITY)
 VIDEO GOES HERE
Oct 30, 2015 5:40PM

28. http://www.highways.gov.sk.ca/sask-maps

29. SAFETY CONCERN
FOR SCHOOL BUS ROUTES
Strasbourg
Grid
Yancoal
Proposed
Route
# 6 Highway

30. LOCAL RCE INVOLVEMENT
 Local RCE Flagship Project (CLEM Ecomuseum)
connects with Havelock community reps.
 Facilitation of meeting of local Havelock
community defining vision of development (May
2016)
 Major contributions to community submission to
provincial Yancoal EIA (June 2016)
 Technical Background of Environmental Assessment
Legislation
 Investigation of Yancoal record in China

31. DEVELOPMENT OF COMMUNITY VIDEO
Video for various
audiences (August
2016)
Includes Prime
Minister of Canada,
Hon. Justin Trudeau
See:
http://www.saskrce.ca/no
de/2583

32. ADDITIONAL RCE SK CONCERNS
Company experience in coal mining
 would be first potash mine
Problematic environmental record of
parent company mine site
remediation in China
Illegal surveillance of employees of
parent company in Australia

33. LOCAL RESIDENTS’ AIM:
SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES

34. A SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY MEANS:
 Strong public consultation and
engagement with those directly
impacted. We should have been
consulted first.
 Responses to concerns raised.
 Best practice from corporations
and government regulators
 Support from government for
RM in dealing with Yancoal.
Not hands off.
Comments from meeting participants,
May 11, 2016, Havelock Community
Centre
Third
Generation
Farmer
I love my
family, my
land, my
lifestyle.
Lived here
since 1961.

35. A SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY MEANS:
• Truth and transparency
• Public dialogue
• No confidentiality
agreements
• Protection of quality of
life
• Trust that regulatory
agencies are on the side
of people as much as
business
Comments from meeting
participants, May 11, 2016,
Havelock Community Centre
I love where I
live and my
family has
always lived
#Love where
I live

36. SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY MEANS:
 Local communities not
bearing the burden of
provincial development alone
 Fair planning and
compensation
 Prevention of problems
rather than acceptance of
high levels of risk and
reactive responses
 Best research. Is drilling
over top of an aquifer safe?
Comments from meeting
participants, May 11, 2016, Havelock
Community Centre
Born March
2016 5th
Generation
Farmer
I love
my farmI care!!
I love raising
my family on
our farm
Love the
farm life

37. SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY MEANS
 Water is sacred and not to be
compromised.
 Specific data, not “we think...”
 Community investments to
offset impacts in upstream,
downstream & surrounding
residences and communities.
 Outline environmental
benefits, not just impacts.
 Goal is sustainable
communities. Mining needs to
contribute to that.
Comments from meeting participants, May 11, 2016,
Havelock Community Centre
Havelock
Matters
Standing for
my values
Water is
precious
I like my farm !!!

38. PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT ENGAGEMENT
RCE SK provides response to
Government of SK call for
submissions (June, 2016)
 Identifies deficiencies and asks key
questions
 Rapid response with academic input
RCE makes formal request for
Inquiry by Minister of Environment
under EIA Act
 Ministry denies request

39. PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT ENGAGEMENT
(CONTINUED)
Ministry provides conditional project
approval (August 2016)
 RCE Saskatchewan provides analysis of
weaknesses of conditions and overall
approach
Provincial Minister of Environment
and Minister of Economic
Development resign within 2 days of
announcement

41. ENGAGEMENT WITH GOVERNMENT OF
CANADA/FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
 RCE SK shares all documents with
Federal Ministry of Environment and
Climate Change in Ottawa
 RCE appeals under Federal Act to apply
Environmental Impact Assessment to
Project
 Seeks a Cumulative Impacts Assessment
 RCE SK letter provides formal trigger for
Government of Canada to consider review
of project

42. WHERE ARE WE NOW?
 Local: Havelock Community awaiting results of
Local Elections in Rural Municipality (RM), Oct.
26, 2016
 RM awaiting reimbursement of $24,000 from Yancoal
 Seeking to create “pushback bylaw” from residences
 Conducting baseline radiation study of area
 Provincial: Havelock Community meets with
new Provincial Minister of Environment
 Provincial Government commitment to respect
Yancoal negotiations with local RM (if done in good
faith); can’t/won’t mandate agreement
 Federal: Awaiting Federal Government decision
on whether to conduct EIA

43. WHERE TO GET MORE DETAILS
 Facebook – Havelock Special Projects Committee
 Twitter: @HSPCommittee
 Environmental Impact Assessment
http://www.environment@gov.sk.ca/ea2015-003
 Yancoal web site: www.yancoal.ca
 RCE Saskatchewan Documentation with two levels of
government: http://www.saskrce.ca/node/2581
 RCE/Havelock Video: http://www.saskrce.ca/node/2583