The Manitoba government won’t reveal how much taxpayer funding is being spent to help find the Flin Flon-Snow Lake region’s next mine.
While the province is providing a total of $3 million in grants to 22 exploration companies across Manitoba in 2014-15, no further breakdown is being made available.
“The amount of assistance received by a company is sensitive information that could be used by their competitors,” a provincial spokesperson told The Reminder. “To ensure we do not jeopardize the business operations of these companies, we cannot release this information.”
The Reminder had asked the province for a list of how much funding each of the 22 companies, including Hudbay, would receive. In years past the province did release those figures.
Watchdog irked
The province’s newfound refusal irks Colin Craig, prairie director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation watchdog group.
“Governments shouldn’t be giving taxpayers’ money away to private business,” he said. “But if the government does, it should be straight up with taxpayers about who’s getting how much.”
Funding support for exploration companies is awarded through the province’s Mineral Exploration Assistance Program, or MEAP.
Seven exploration projects in the Flin Flon-Snow Lake region will receive MEAP funding this year, consisting of:
• Hudbay (Lalor / Chisel Lake project near Snow Lake.
• 4058667 Manitoba Ltd. (Fay Lake project northeast of Flin Flon).
• Wildcat Exploration Ltd. (Reed project between Flin Flon and Snow Lake).
• Strider Resources (Wekusko project near Snow Lake).
• Copper Reef Mining Corp. (Northstar / Gold Rock project west of Snow Lake).
• Callinex Mines Inc. (MEL 1027A project northeast of Snow Lake).
• QMC Quantum Minerals Corp. (Rocky-Namew project southeast of Flin Flon near Wanless).
Most of the 15 other projects getting funding are elsewhere in northern Manitoba, including one east of The Pas, one near Thompson and three in the Lynn Lake-Leaf Rapids area.
The province has doubled the total MEAP payout from 2013-14.
In a news release, Mineral Resources Minister Dave Chomiak said that for every $1 million provided through MEAP, up to $8 million is generated in exploration spending.
