The Mining Community Reserve Fund (MCRF) is above the $10 million minimum mark for community allocations, according to a recent freedom of information request by the Manitoba NDP.
A recent request for access under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) shows the account’s balance as $10,947,102.10 as of May 6.
The request also shows that $882,431.83 of funds were distributed from the MCRF during the 2018-2019 fiscal year, but also show no current year-to-date funding has been distributed.
In recent years, requests for funding made by the City of Thompson had been denied on the basis of the balance of the MCRF being too low, below a threshold of $10 million dollars.
In July 2017, Thompson’s city council had requested $100,000 from the MCRF for 2018 and another $1 million in 2019, 2020 and 2021 to offset economic damage from pending layoffs at the city’s Vale nickel facilities: Hudbay plans to shut down Flin Flon’s 777 mine in 2022.
The Thompson Citizen reported that shortly after 2016’s provincial election, the MCRF had a balance of $13,919,000. Under its current language, the Mining Tax Act dictates that the MCRF’s excess over the $10 million mark must be allocated to exploration projects that promote employment in Manitoba mining communities. In the past, excess money from the fund has been allocated to the provincial Mineral Exploration Assistance Program.
Flin Flon city council has considered applying for payments through the MCRF in the past.
