Letters call for ban on peat mining in Manitoba

Wednesday, January 09, 2013

The Winnipeg Sun

On Wednesday morning, the Wilderness Committee delivered 830 letters to Manitoba Minister of Conservation Gord Mackintosh, urging a ban on peat mining in the province.

"People are concerned about our water and our climate," said Eric Reder, campaign director for the Wilderness Committee. "Manitobans see a solution to these looming environmental disasters, and banning peat mining is part of it."

Peat mining releases sediment and carbon into lakes, Reder said in a news release.

For the last two years, two projects on the shores of Lake Winnipeg have been awaiting approval. A third application is being sought in Hecla/Grindstone Provincial Park. Reder says a fourth could be coming within the city's watershed this year.

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