Brokenhead Ojibway Nation votes no to partnership with Sio Silica
Opponents of prospective deal with sand-mining company win referendum, 181 to 129.
Brokenhead Ojibway Nation has rejected a partnership with sand-mining company Sio Silica.
After eight days of online voting and one day of in-person voting, band members defeated a prospective deal with the mining company by a tally of 181 to 129, a spokesperson for the First Nation confirmed Friday evening.
Brokenhead has approximately 2,300 members, including youths and children too young to be eligible for the vote.
"I can't believe it, I'm crying tears of joy," said Brokenhead member Taylor Galvin, who opposes the mining project and organized a Friday morning demonstration that attracted approximately 50 band members and their supporters.
Sio Silica president Carla Devlin said in a statement her company respects the community's decision, although she and her colleagues believe "misinformation may have influenced the outcome."
"Sio Silica remains committed to advancing our environmentally responsible project which aligns with Canada's critical minerals strategy and can deliver long-term economic benefits to Manitoba and beyond," she said.
Devlin said her company will continue working with the province, approval authorities and the public "to ensure accurate information is available to the public."
Demonstration held morning of in-person vote
Band members voted in-person on Friday at the Private Thomas Chief Memorial Centre in a referendum about whether Brokenhead to should continue talks about an offer by the Alberta mining company to share five per cent of the profits from its proposal to drill thousands of wells in southeastern Manitoba — outside Brokenhead's reserve lands — for silica sand.
Sio Silica has previously said the band is being consulted because it is the closest First Nation to the wells the company intends to drill across a broad swath of land in the province.
The company estimates the band eventually could receive up to $20 million a year from the deal, if the province grants Sio Silica an environmental licence.
Manitoba's NDP government denied an initial licence application in 2024, citing uncertainty about the effect of sand mining on the quality of a drinking-water aquifer as well as concerns about potential collapses underground.
Band members were able to vote online in the referendum since Aug. 1. Friday was the only day where in-person voting took place — in the same hall where band members could obtain treaty payments and attend a health exposition during Treaty Days, the community's annual gathering.
Galvin had taken issue with the short notice for the referendum and the fact it's taking place during Treaty Days.
"They sent out ballots on a Friday afternoon on a long weekend. They're forcing us to vote in something so detrimental during a time of celebration," Galvin said during a morning address.
Former Brokenhead chief Deborah Smith suggested this could have been a deliberate tactic on the part of the band's chief and council.
"To be able to spring that on us, a day before the vote is called, this shows a lack of respect but also a lack of proper planning," Smith said during the demonstration.
Brokenhead Chief Gordon Bluesky declined an interview request. In a statement posted Thursday on the band's website, the chief and his council said the vote was scheduled at a time when most members were available and gathered in community "to ensure maximum participation and transparency."
Several band members who departed Private Thomas Chief Memorial Centre told CBC News they did not vote in the referendum because they did not know enough about the proposed partnership.
"There wasn't really much information about it. It just popped out of the blue. I only heard of it last week," said Ramsey Desjarlais, a Brokenhead member.
Band council members also said in their statement they were not taking a position on the referendum and were simply seeking a mandate from band members before they engage in further talks with Sio Silica.
"This is why we are holding a referendum — to allow all eligible community members to have their say and determine the direction collectively," the band's council said in the online statement.
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