Manitoba Innovation, Energy and Mines
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Background:
Manitoba's Protected Areas Initiative is a government program dedicated to building a network of protected areas that represents the biological diversity found in Manitoba's varied landscapes.
Manitoba’s network of protected areas may include Crown lands such as provincial parks and park reserves, wildlife management areas, national parks, and ecological reserves, as well as voluntarily protected private lands, aboriginal lands and lands managed by conservation organizations.
The Province has committed to assembling a network of protected areas that represents the ecosystems and maintains the biodiversity found within all of Manitoba’s natural regions. Protected areas consist of land, freshwater and marine sites where logging, mining, hydroelectric development, oil and gas development and other activities that significantly and adversely affect habitat are prohibited. Surface access for the purpose of oil and gas operation in these areas is prohibited.
For more information on the Protected Areas Initiative please visit www.manitobaprotectedareas.com.
Petroleum Working Committee
As part of the province’s commitment to this program, the Petroleum Branch, Manitoba Science, Technology, Energy and Mines formed a "Petroleum Working Committee” of petroleum geologists with representatives from industry, academia and government with experience, or whose companies are stakeholders in Manitoba, to assess the petroleum potential of lands proposed for protection under Manitoba's Protected Areas Initiative.
Over the past few years, members of the Petroleum Working Committee have evaluated and made recommendations on provincial parks and wildlife management areas proposed for protection (Table 1). Since 2001, the Protected Areas Initiative shifted its focus to areas outside southwestern Manitoba and the activities of the Committee were suspended.
In the interim period from 2001 to 2006, as part of the Petroleum Branch’s routine consultation, postings received by the Petroleum Branch for Crown land sales were reviewed on a case by case basis by Manitoba Conservation. Surface land owned by the Crown may be subject to access restrictions under the Protected Areas Initiative, as identified by Manitoba Conservation in these reviews.
Recent increases in oil and gas activity in the Province, as well as renewed interest in the Protected Areas Initiative in southern Manitoba has prompted the need for a structured review process. A new Petroleum Working Committee was reinstated in January 2006 to facilitate the Petroleum Sector (Member List) review of sites proposed for protection by the Protected Areas Initiative.
Mandate
The responsibility of the Petroleum Working Committee is to evaluate the petroleum geological potential of areas proposed for protection under Manitoba's Protected Areas Initiative falling within the petroleum priority zone (Pdf Map)and to provide recommendations based on these evaluations as part of the Petroleum Sector review process.
Crown owned subsurface oil and gas rights identified in areas proposed for protection that are under lease or under freehold mineral ownership are excluded.
The Committee will review candidate sites for the Protected Areas Initiative on a systematic, site by site basis and formulate recommendations related to their possible designation. It is anticipated that the work of the Committee will extend over several years.
Current Status
Manitoba Conservation has requested that the petroleum sector review select Ducks Unlimited Canada and Nature Conservancy of Canada lands proposed for protection. The Petroleum Working Committee met on April 26, 2006 to discuss the lands proposed for protection and are currently in the process of evaluating these areas for petroleum potential. (Pdf Map and Table 3)
As part of the Petroleum Sector evaluation process, we invite stakeholders to review the sites proposed for protection under the Protected Areas Initiative with respect to petroleum potential. Please send your comments by email to the Petroleum Working Committee Coordinator at the address listed below.
Pamela Fulton-Regula, Geologist
Manitoba Science, Technology, Energy and Mines
Petroleum Branch
360 – 1395 Ellice Avenue
Winnipeg MB R3G 3P2
Email: Pamela.Fulton-Regula@gov.mb.ca
Phone: (204) 945-6506
TABLE 1: HISTORY OF PETROLEUM WORKING COMMITTEE ACTIVITIES
The following lands have been reviewed by the Petroleum Working Committee.
Name |
Date Reviewed |
PWC Recommendations |
Asessippi Provincial Park |
27–Jan-94 |
Recommended for protected status. |
Duck Mountain Provincial Park |
27–Jan-94 |
Recommended for protected status, with access to resource management areas requested. |
Spruce Woods Provincial Park |
27–Jan-94 |
Recommended for protected status. |
Turtle Mountain Provincial Park |
27–Jan-94 |
Recommended for protected status, except for high potential in area of Whitewater Lake and Virden member subcrops. |
Whitewater Lake WMA Wildlife Management Area (WMA) |
17-Feb-95 20-Sept-00 20-Jun-01 |
Not recommended for protected status. The petroleum potential of the area was significant. Further evaluations for potentially protecting the eastern and western portions of the WMA recommended prior to formal protection. |
Brandon Hills WMA |
11-Feb-98 |
Recommended for protected status. |
Lauder Sand Hills WMA |
11-Feb-98 |
Not recommended for protected status. |
Souris River Bend WMA |
11-Feb-98 |
Recommended for protected status. |
Upper Assiniboine WMA |
20-Jun-01 |
Not recommended for protected status – future exploration opportunities are thought to exist. |
Harrison WMA – SE 26-17-20 WPM |
26-Oct-01 |
Recommended for protected status. |
Rivers Provincial Park Extension – SE 30-12-20 WPM |
26-Oct-01 |
Recommended for protected status. |
Wakopa WMA – 18-1-18 WPM |
26-Oct-01 |
Recommended for protected status. |
Wellington WMA – 29-3-6 WPM |
26-Oct-01 |
Recommended for protected status. |
Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) |
26-Apr-06 |
Under Review |
Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) |
26-Apr-06 |
Under Review |
PETROLEUM WORKING COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Table 2. Petroleum Working Committee
Member |
Organization/Address |
Phone |
|
Yvonne Beaubien, Manager, Protected Areas Initiative (PAI) |
Protected Areas Initiative Manitoba Conservation Box 53, 200 Saulteaux Crescent Winnipeg, Manitoba R3J 3W3
|
(204) 945-5159
|
|
Pamela Fulton-Regula |
Petroleum Branch Manitoba Science, Technology, Energy and Mines 360 - 1395 Ellice Avenue Winnipeg MB R3G 3P2
|
(204) 945-6506
|
Pamela.Fulton-Regula@gov.mb.ca
|
Michelle Nicolas,
|
Manitoba Geological Survey Manitoba Science, Technology, Energy and Mines 360 - 1395 Ellice Avenue Winnipeg MB R3G 3P2
|
(204) 945-6571
|
michelle. nicolas@gov.mb.ca
|
Brad Bakuska |
New Midland Petroleum Ltd. Suite 1404, 683 – 10th St. SW Calgary, AB T2P 5G3
|
(403) 263-8142 |
bbakuska@telus.net |
Dan Barchyn |
Lodgepole Energy Corp. 604 - 167 Lombard Ave. Winnipeg, MB R3B 0V3
|
(204) 949-0166 |
lodgepole@rainyday.ca |
John Falck |
Enerplus Resources Fund 3000, 333 - 7th Ave. S.W. Calgary, AB T2P 2Z1
|
(403) 298-8928
|
|
Steve Halabura |
North Rim Exploration Ltd. 210 - 3502 Taylor Street East |
(306) 244-4878
|
|
Brad Thiessen |
Tundra Oil and Gas Ltd. Suite 1700, One Lombard Place Winnipeg, MB R3B 0X3
|
(204) 934-5856 |
bthiessen@togl.mb.ca |
Karen Webster |
Enerplus Resources Fund 3000, 333 - 7th Ave. S.W. Calgary, AB T2P 2Z1
|
(403) 298-1246 |
|
Harvey Young |
Geology Department Faculty of Science 270 – 18th St. Brandon, MB R7A 6A9
|
(204) 727-9798 |
young@brandonu.ca |
Figure 1. Petroleum Priority Zone
****See attached pdf.
Figure 2. Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) and Nature Conservancy Canada (NCC) Lands Requiring Petroleum Review
***See attached pdf.
Table 3. Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) and Nature Conservancy Canada (NCC) Lands
Petroleum Working Committee Evaluations and Recommendations (September 8, 2006)
***See attached pdf.
Manitoba Petroleum Working Committee - Teleconference meeting minutes (September 8, 2006)
