B.C. company wants to open $300M made-in-Canada sand mine to fuel anticipated fracking, LNG boom

Andrew Kurjata · CBC News

· Posted: May 04, 2025 9:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

A B.C.-based institution wants to unfastened a soil excavation northbound of Prince George to supply a made-in-Canada solution to an anticipated boost successful liquefied earthy state production.

Vitero Minerals' proposed silica soil mine, astir 60 kilometres northbound of the city, adjacent Bear Lake, would nutrient soil utilized successful hydraulic fracturing, oregon fracking, to prop unfastened the fractures that are created during crude lipid and earthy state extraction.

Right now, the institution says, most of that soil is imported from Wisconsin, but amid a "Buy Canadian" movement, CEO Scott Broughton believes that should use to the concern sector, arsenic well.

"We should marque that locally. We should seizure that market," helium said portion speaking astatine the Minerals North league held successful Prince George this week.

WATCH | Rush to make B.C.'s liquefied earthy state industry: 

Broughton said the task has an estimated worth of $300 cardinal and would see an concern mine, quarry and finishing works and supply astir 150 ongoing jobs, portion vice-president of operations Cullen McCormick characterized it arsenic a "glorified soil and gravel pit" successful presumption of quality and process.

B.C.'s Environmental Assessment Office is presently seeking nationalist feedback connected the task and volition beryllium hosting an unfastened location astatine the Bear Lake Community Hall connected May 13, but the connection comes arsenic the state is promising to fast-track prime caller concern developments — and arsenic conservation groups are sounding the alarm astir B.C. falling down connected its biology goals amid the unreserved to diversify the system distant from the United States.

Push for development

If it moves forward, soil from the excavation would beryllium sold into the Montney lipid and state basin bordering northeast B.C. and Alberta, wherever manufacture is anticipating accrued request arsenic the LNG Canada installation comes online successful Kitimat, connected B.C.'s North Coast, aboriginal this year.

That task volition instrumentality state shipped by pipeline from adjacent Dawson Creek, B.C. and chill it for retention and export to Asian markets overseas.

Liquefied earthy state (LNG) has been identified by some the national and provincial governments arsenic a cardinal mode to trim Canada's reliance connected the United States arsenic a marketplace for vigor exports amid a commercialized warfare initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump's threats of economical annexation.

And it's not alone: determination are 5 imaginable LNG projects successful British Columbia astatine assorted stages of approval, and the province's NDP authorities has promised to determination quickly to get them done the queue.

But portion advocates for the manufacture accidental LNG is the cleanest-burning fossil substance successful the satellite and helps regenerate emissions worldwide, critics constituent retired that its accumulation is resource-intensive and reason it is contributing to, alternatively than mitigating, the clime crisis.

Climate concerns from LNG, fracking

Dr. Melissa Lem, a household doc and president of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, has spoken retired against the enlargement of the LNG industry, saying that expanding request for fracking worsens wellness outcomes by expanding emissions.

"Producing and burning fossil fuels person superior quality wellness implications, particularly for those surviving adjacent fracking and LNG infrastructure," she said successful a statement.

"Expanding LNG exports ties B.C. to a volatile, polluting manufacture [and] volition thrust up health-care costs, security rates and the outgo of surviving portion worsening health, aerial and h2o quality, and clime impacts."

In its ain Climate Change Accountability study released this week, the state conceded that it is not connected way to conscionable its ain targets for cutting emissions, anticipating an emissions alteration of 20 per cent beneath 2007 levels by 2030, arsenic opposed to its extremity of 40 per cent.

The largest root of emissions is transport, specifically roadworthy travel, followed by the concern sector, including lipid and gas. Though the study indicates the manufacture has managed to trim the strength of emissions, it besides shows spikes associated with an summation successful state extraction, driven successful portion by the enlargement of the LNG industry.

Speaking to reporters this week, Energy and Climate Solutions Minister Adrian Dix said it was wide the state was not connected way successful its goals, but touted the wide emissions reductions seen successful the study and promised to bring caller cleanable vigor projects powered by renewable sources online.

Government needs to marque 'hard decisions': B.C. Greens

The B.C. Green Party, however, criticized the response, arguing the NDP has been focused connected getting headlines by announcing caller assets projects alternatively of making "hard decisions" needed to tackle clime change.

"Investments successful cleanable vigor projects won't get america backmost connected way erstwhile their intent is to powerfulness lipid and state extraction for export," Interim Leader Jeremy Valeriote said successful a statement, referencing reports that caller energy projects could spell toward powering LNG production facilities.

Hazel Thayer, a contented creator focused connected clime alteration based successful Victoria, told CBC's All Points West this week that she's been frustrated to spot concerns astir the situation instrumentality a backmost spot to concern improvement during the existent governmental moment, referencing the deficiency of treatment astir emissions during the caller national election.

"It was benignant of an statement of who likes pipelines more," she said. 

B.C. speeding up approvals

Meanwhile, connected Thursday B.C. Infrastructure Minister Bowinn Ma said the state would beryllium introducing caller authorities that would velocity up large nationalist and backstage projects, including mines and different earthy assets enterprises.

Ma says the authorities gives furniture the powerfulness to designate projects arsenic important connected a case-by-case basis, and that they could originate from Crown corporations, section governments, First Nations oregon the backstage sector. 

The curate says the authorities volition velocity up permitting done an alternate biology appraisal process and different streamlining tools, promising that nary of these volition alteration the prime of appraisal oregon obligations to First Nations nether the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

As for the existent connection northbound of Prince George, the connection is inactive successful the aboriginal stages of development, but McCormick said arsenic agelong arsenic fracking and LNG development are happening successful Canada, it should make arsenic galore section jobs arsenic possible.

"We're estimating a $300 cardinal task development," helium said. "Let's support each that wealth and concern and accidental for locals present successful the portion alternatively than shipping that up from the U.S."