An environmental group is decrying the rush to mine peat in the Riverton area near Lake Winnipeg.

The Wilderness Committee said new peat-extraction proposals are continuing to pop up in the area despite a 2010 provincial ban on new quarry leases. That's because peat-mining companies already held numerous leases before the NDP government's Save Lake Winnipeg Act was proclaimed.

Sunterra Horticulture (Canada) Inc., recently applied for an Environment Act licence to expand its operations to the Bullhead, Little Deer Lake and Ramsay Point bogs about 40 to 80 kilometres north of Riverton. The company said it needs the new mines because its nearby Beaver Point bog is nearing the end of its productive life.

"Without the proposed development, Sunterra will either have to drastically reduce its workforce and investments within Manitoba and/or seek out resources in other provinces," the company said in a submission to the government in December.

There are several new peat-mining operations planned for the area east and north of Riverton, prompting the Wilderness Committee's Eric Reder to dub it the "peat rush."

"This entire peninsula is covered with quarry leases," Reder said Friday.

Another company, Sun Gro Horticulture, sparked controversy earlier this year when it applied to develop a peat mine inside Hecla Grindstone Provincial Park. The province is expected to announce its decision on that project this fall, while also weighing appeals on the granting of licences for two other mines in the area.

Environmentalists are critical of peat mining because they say the process releases substantial amounts of greenhouse gases. There are also worries peat mining near Lake Winnipeg will exacerbate the water's nutrient problems. Meanwhile, the area around the proposed Sunterra mines is said to be prime moose habitat.

Heather Hinam, a naturalist and Hecla/Grindstone cottage owner, has organized an online petition against the proposed Sunterra expansion. Earlier this year, she also helped organize opposition to Sun Gro's planned mine. "I see it as a short-sighted cash grab that's going to have a long-term (environmental) impact," she said of the proposed peat mines.

Conservation and Water Stewardship Minister Gord Mackintosh was unavailable for comment on Friday.

The province is accepting comments from the public on the proposed Sunterra mines until Tuesday. Anyone wishing to weigh in on the company's proposals can email Darrell Ouimet, a provincial environmental officer, at darrell.ouimet@gov.mb.ca.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 21, 2012 A16