A Frac Sand Bre-X (without the investor rush)? Calgary’s Sio Silica (prev Canwhite Frac Sands) not accepting their licence in Manitoba was denied, relaunches project as SiMBA, tap dances synergy with BrokenHead Ojibway Nation (to get approval via Pierre Poilievre?) even though “None of the company’s activities will be on Brokenhead lands, [Sio Silica CEO Feisal] Somji said.”
SiMBA by Sio Silica (Sio) smells like an erupting sewer to me in many more ways than accounting/merger hanky pankies.
Sio recently reportedly partnered with Pyrophyte, an acquisition company,to get on the New York stock exchange.Pyrophyte’s head honcho, Bernard Duroc-Danner, was CEO of Weatherford – massive oilfield/frac services company, when it was heavily fined for doing accounting hanky panky, and was forced to step down.
Screen grab taken March 16, 2025 of Pyrophyte Management Team, including Dr. Bernard J. Duroc-Danner Chairman & CEO. His bio states he’s an internationally recognized energy executive, built oilfield/frac services company Weatherford International Ltd., but creepily does not admit he was forced to step down in 2016 when Weatherford was heavily fined for accounting hanky panky.
Given his past performance, I wouldn’t trust anything Bernard Duroc-Danner says or does, especially not his dances with Sio. His involvement confirms for me that Sio’s not to be trusted either, and makes it more clear to me that Sio’s silica sand is bound for frac’ing, not solar panels.
Sio’s Stantec Report shows their deposit does not meet the purity level in phosphorus and boron to make silicon metal for solar panels. Yet Sio claims their sand is pure enough even though there’s documented evidence showing their sand is too fine grained to use in the current silica/carbon smelting process required. High purity quartz rock that can be crushed to the optimum grain size must be used. More details on this failing are included further below in this post.
The sand deposit in Manitoba is not viable for what Sio claims it will be used for which smells to me like Bre-X without the investors rushing in.
The former MB Con gov’t signed an MOU with Sio to promote silicon production of this sand that in my read can’t be used to make silicon metal by any established means.
It appears the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) allowed misinformation (disinformation?) about the deposit then quickly delisted the company for technical reasons. Or did the SEC realize their negligence:
The New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”, the “Exchange”) announced today that the staff of NYSE Regulation has determined to commence proceedings to delist the three securities enumerated below (“Securities”) of Pyrophyte Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) from the Exchange. Trading in the Company’s Securities will be suspended immediately. …
NYSE Regulation reached its decision to delist the Company’s Securities pursuant to Sections 802.01B and 102.06e. of the NYSE’s Listed Company Manual because the Company failed to consummate a business combination within the shorter of (i) the time period specified by its constitutive documents or by contract or (ii) three years. …
As with most industrial projects in rape and pillage Canada, many media – including The Narwhal, promote synergy (report on the harms while reporting on the harmed saying they’re not opposed), spout company propaganda, avoid appropriate fact-checking and worse, ignore important scientific evidence sent to them, in standard Alberta Synergy practice, sneak around trying to get in via a back door.
The provincial approvals process favours aquifer destroyers, as in other provinces, notably Alberta where this company hails from (Calgary). Approval will not make SiMBA acceptable or drinking water safe from it. No company that puts drinking water aquifers at risk is “ethical.”
Who is really behind this sand? Encana/Ovintiv and other oil and gas frac’ers?
Who is financing this project?
What is the silica sand really to be used for?
I believe from my read (over years) of the project and its many name, merger, listing/delisting, and intention changes, it’s about oil and gas companies chasing ever more elusive frac sand. The boastful chatter about high purity for solar panels seems to me to be to get the sand mined, invade the aquifers, tell the truth (or spew endless lies) after the damages are done, beg forgiveness after it’s too late, in typical frac/oil company fashion. I believe the impacted residents and the BrokenHead Ojibway Nation (BON) would not support this this project if they knew the sand was intended for frac’ing thus why the name and project intention changes.
Comment from a concerned Manitoba resident:
They destroyed your water and now they are going to destroy ours.
2021: A dry comment in from a Manitoban to this page:
We encourage community minded entrepreneurs from Alberta to transform our sand aquifers into acid and heavy metal filled caverns. They use the sand to frack your aquifers. They teach our children to be entrepreneurs and how to play scrabble.
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After Manitoba refused their extraction licence in 2024, Sio Silica (Sio) is refusing to hear “No!”
The “Feature” promotes, without supportive documentation, Sio Silica claims of purity, of market, of “environmentally sound” methods, sustainability, and economic reconciliation among others. CEO Feisal Somji described politics and “misinformation…driven by a small but vocal group…overshadowed scientific findings, creating unnecessary delays and uncertainty.”
It was Sio Silica and their plethora of legal and scientific experts that failed to prove “methods they use” are environmentally, legally and fiscally sound. The MB Clean Environment Commission concluded that it could not state with confidence that the project’s potential environmental impacts had been fully considered and there were too many unanswered questions to approve the project.
It was Sio Silica who engaged the political realm, even hiring Conservative faithful. Currently, an ethics investigation is looking into allegations that the former Con government tried to push through the licensing of Sio’s project. (See OLS posts Oct 27, 2022; Sept 13, 2023; Jan 18, Aug 4, 2024)
It is Sio Silica who continues with their political game, hiring East St Paul(ESP) Mayor Carla Devlin, an aspiring Con leadership candidate as their “VP of Manitoba”. As Mayor, Devlin has direct contact to provincial officials to discuss issues including those pertaining to Brokenhead Ojibway Nation(BON) who own land in ESP. BON has been negotiating a municipal service agreement w/ESP and w/Sio “for the location of advanced manufacturing facilities on their lands.” Devlin’s close positions to both parties puts herself in a conflict of interest – perceived or otherwise. (See previous OLS post & Aug 4, 7; Oct 29; Nov 2, 28; Dec 3, 2024)
This political maneuvering appears to be continuing because in February, Somji crowned Devlin as ‘president’ of Sio Silica, in his place.
As for “economic reconciliation” former BON Chief Deborah Smith explains clearly that it cannot happen “when those economic activities go against our spiritual laws, our beliefs and those oral histories and teachings”. (Narwhal Dec 27, 2024, “Sio Silica is staging a comeback-with a push for First Nations support”).
Feb 16, 2024, “based on the information and data provided by experts including the report done by the Clean Environment Commission(CEC) as well as consultation with impacted communities and First Nations” the province refused to issue an environmental license for the Sio Silica project.
There are fundamental flaws and inherent consequences in the Sio Silica project that make it unsafe and irredeemable. The decision to deny licensing is the correct one to make.
Images: Devlin and daughter, Paityn, who is Sio’s marketing manager, promoting Sio Silica at the U of M career fair. Devlin and CFO Todd Hirtle also took part in U of M’s Asper School of Business Case Competitions; Dec 2024 Ombudsman Report found Devlin breached municipal bylaws by using the municipal logo on her campaign materials and that she had indirect pecuniary and personal interests and should not have participated in a vote to refund a developer over $200,000.00 -“Conflict, or the perception of conflict, can also occur when there is no pecuniary interest, such as when a council member is seen to be too close to the parties on one side of a dispute or proposal.” See OLS comment section for links.
Company ready to power Manitoba and Canada’s economy despite political uncertainty
Sio Silica is determined to mine silica sand in southeastern Manitoba. Despite some past setbacks, company executives insist the project is ready to move forward and meet North American demand.
Feisal Somji, CEO of Sio Silica, said, “Our primary goal remains bringing the Manitoba project into production. We have secured all necessary funding, completed a preliminary economic assessment, and had engineering plans ready for the design and build of the processing facility. Additionally, we have secured off-take agreements with major partners in North America, ensuring that there is strong demand for our high-purity silica.”
Somji added, “As soon as we receive approval, we can be operational and online within one year. This means that by 2026, when the solar panel industry is projected to face a severe high-purity quartz shortage, we will be in a position to meet that demand with a secure, North American supply.”1. Sio Silica was denied approval! Where are they magically going to pull approval from?! Pierre Picklehead, tanking in the polls? 2. Solar tech is evolving at such a rapid pace, by 2026 panels might no longer be made with high-purity quartz. Frac sand is andwill be in demand, notably with the Musk Nazis currently destroying the USA and Turnip Trump pimping Drill Baby Drill while deregulating and abusing Americans faster than anyone can keep track of.
Historic find in southeastern Manitoba
Sio Silica – a Canadian high purity quartz silica mining and processing company – identified a unique resource in southeastern Manitoba. Feisal Somji, the current CEO of Sio Silica, identified back in 2017 a remarkably pure silica sand deposit about 180 feet below the surface in southern Manitoba. He conducted a successful airlift test through a water well. He conducted the test once the deposit could be extracted in a safe manner.Pfffft. I smell baloney!
Seeing that this method could safely extract the silica, Somji moved quickly to secure the mineral rights for the entire Carmen Sand deposit. He drew inspiration from historical market control strategies, such as the Hunt Brothers’ influence over the silver market, to ensure complete oversight of this high-purity quartz silica resource in Manitoba.
Political challenges in ManitobaProject denialnotwithstanding, Somji said he is persevering. He mentioned some groundwork and partnership work he has already done in the province.
“Despite these challenges, we remain committed to Manitoba and its economic future. Our project represents a true example of economic reconciliationOMG! Excuse me while I vomit, as we have built strong partnerships with First Nations communities who see the value in responsible resource development. We recognize the importance of sustainable practices and have actively engaged in meaningful Propaganda? Lies? Bulling? Bribery? consultation to ensure that our project benefits all collaborators involved.”
With a lifespan capacity of over five hundred years and purity results exceeding 99.999% SiO2 crystalline quartz (produced under laboratory conditions), this critical mineral is foundational to modern technology, sustainable energy technologies, and the infrastructure that supports our daily lives.A little too arrogant for my brain; I don’t believe you.
Industry observers have concluded global demand for high purity quartz silica will outstrip supply by 2032. Thus, Sio Silica is capable of providing a stable, long-term source of this essential material.
The company has stated that the scale and purity of this deposit—dubbed SiMbA—in Manitoba, containing an estimated 15 billion tons of high purity quartz silica, represents an opportunity to position Canada as a global leader in advanced manufacturing and low-emissions technology. This resource is vital in producing semiconductors, smartphone screens, computer processors, solar panels, fibre optics, and advanced medical devices.Sio Silica’s sand is not apparently pure enough for such production, but it is usable in frac’ing. Keep in mind that companies love to brag about what deposits contain, and neglect to mention that what is extractible is much less, and often comes with negative environmental, community and health costs.
Feisal Somji, CEO of Sio Silica, commented, “Our deposit is a generational opportunity to build a resilient and prosperous future. Capitalizing on this discovery will strengthen Canada’s position as a leading provider of a critical mineral in high demand. It also has the potential to create well-paying jobs and skills training opportunities for Indigenous communities and other Manitobans.”I read the usual frac boast (lie?), loud and clear.
Recent setbacks for the company
Sio Silica’s plans, however, have faced definite setbacks. In February 2024, the province of Manitoba rejected a proposal from Sio Silica to establish a mining operation near Vivan, Manitoba. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew and the provincial environment minister also said the environmental concerns outweighed ‘uncertain’ economic benefits from the operation and cited concerns over drinking water.
Sio Silica officials countered that the methods they use are environmentally sound and in line with international standards.Industry standards are shit and in my professional opinon mean the water will be contaminated and the sand will harm health in the community Sio Silica’s extraction method does not require open pits, truck traffic, or tailing ponds. Sio Silica spokespeople said the company’s approach prioritizes responsible resource management.Which means little, notably in corporate raped and pillaged Canada, with regulators bending over to help polluters pollute, and courts/companies gagging the harmed again and again to keep harming and polluting.
Carla Devlinmore on Ms Devlin below, please note, in my professional opinion she has no qualifications to judge this project’s risks and harms, or economic viability, president of Manitoba Sio Silica, said, “Our approach to resource development proves that economic progress and environmental sustainability can go hand in hand.”
Company CEO Feisal Somji commented on the challenges his company encountered in its initial quest for mine approval. He said, “Securing buy-in for a resource project in today’s landscape requires more than just sound science and economic benefits—it demands navigating a complex web of public perception, misinformation, and political uncertainty. At Sio Silica, we have encountered firsthand the challenges that major projects face in gaining approval, despite meeting or exceeding all regulatory requirements.”Fucking douche! In my view, Sio Silica is projecting their bad behaviours, misinformation, disinformation, scientific garbage and twisting perceptions.
He added, “Social media has become a double-edged sword in the mining and resource sector. While it provides a platform for engagement, it also allows misinformation to spread rapidly, often driven by a small but vocal group that can mislead the broader public. In our case, narratives fueled by inaccuracies have at times overshadowed scientific findings, creating unnecessary delays and uncertainty.”Give me a minute, while I go get my tissues to have a little weep for poor little Sio.
Somji also recounted issues with political uncertainty during a recent provincial election.
He said, “A clear example of this was our experience with the approval process—our Class 2 license was subjected to unprecedented scrutiny, including a Clean Environment Commission (CEC) hearing, which is not a typical requirement for projects of this classification. Furthermore, despite passing rigorous reviews by the environmental approvals branch (EAB) and the technical advisory committee (TAC), with a draft license prepared, the document remained unsigned due to an election cycle, leaving us in limbo under a new administration.”No. Mr. Somji, Sio Silica failed, miserably, in assuring the impacted community, families, and politicians not conned by the promises.
Future plans for Manitoba and Canada
Beyond the immediate mining project, Sio Silica perceives Manitoba and Canada as strategic locations for further vertical integration. The company is convinced the province has all the necessary ingredients for a robust silicon supply chain—high-purity quartz, low-cost, green hydroelectric power, a strong transportation network, and a skilled workforce. If it can get its mining operation off the ground, the company has expressed interest in developing local value-added processing and attract industries such as solar panel manufacturing, silicon ingot production, wafer fabrication, semiconductors, composites, batteries, and advanced materials.Please step into our mouse trap, we promise the pain will be quick while we execute.
Who is the Springfield Taxpayers Rights Corporation?
The Springfield Taxpayers Rights Corp (STRC) is a large group of over 1400 concerned Springfield residents, which was instrumental in stopping the Sio Silica project.
The STRC consists of many professionals including, but not limited to, engineers, a retired Chief Administrator Officer, Professors of the University of Manitoba & Winnipeg, Lawyers, former councillors, politicians, doctors, teachers, business owners, farmers and a whole host of lay peoples.
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Reportedly, the Calgary company Sio is promising mega bucks trying to synergize the BON into supporting a multi billion dollar solar panel manufacturing plant on BON land using Silica Sand extracted by Sio without a license.
Sio recruited Carla Devlin, mayor of E. St Paul, to be VP for this project. Stinky!
BON recently received treaty entitlement land in E. St. Paul. Carla Devlin has no background in frac’ing, frac sand, groundwater, geology, environmental science, alternate energies, or solar panel manufacturing but she has reportedly served slick propaganda to BON. The new mayor and council of BON seem to be supporting this project.
In November 2024, Dennis LeNeveu presented the many environmental harms and non viability of the project in BON at a public meeting organized by the former Chief Deborah Smith.
Almost no one from BON attended; the meeting was boycotted by the existing council (synergy is brainwashing and incredibly successful). Simone Rutgers of the Narwhal wrote a synergizing both-sidesing article about the project, its new name and mentioned the BON meeting. She did not attend Mr. LeNeveu’s presentation; if she had, she would have had to report on the truth and the damning evidence:
It has pitched the mine — now called project SiMBA — in closed-door meetings to Brokenhead members with the promise of benefits, including an equity share valued at more than $10 million per year, employment and training opportunities, and an environmental-monitoring committee made up of community members.
The Fress Press/Narwhal have obtained a recording of one of three closed round-table meetings the company held with the First Nation in early November.
“We want to communicate, we apologize we didn’t do it in a better way before,”WTF!?! Stinky stench! Why the hell didn’t the company do it right the first time?Sio Silica CEO Feisal Somji told about a dozen Brokenhead members at one of the meetings. “We wanted to come and talk to everyone first and get feedback and see if we have to make changes.… And we want to partner.”
But some Brokenhead members are wary of Sio Silica’s promises and worry the company has yet to address the proposal’s environmental risks. The Brokenhead River, members note, runs through the lands where Sio Silica plans to mine. …
Sio Silica originally planned to extract 1.3 million tonnes annually of what it calls “high-purity silica sand” — used in clean-energy technology like solar panels and semiconductors — from a drinking-water aquifer roughly 25 kilometres southeast of Winnipeg. …
Sio Silica said the mine would create between 50 and 100 jobs, contribute $1.2 billion to the Manitoba economy and help the province establish a clean-technology manufacturing industry. The company had lined up an agreement with German manufacturer RCT Solutions GmbH to supply sand for a solar panel manufacturing facility in Manitoba, projected to create another 8,000 jobs.I’ve studied the evidence over a number of years. I do not believe the jobs and riches promised by the company; I think they are over glorifying them while downplaying the risks and or outright denying any, in the usual way frac’ers do to sleaze their way in.…
After years of opposition from these residents, the province’s Clean Environment Commission assessed the project over several weeks of hearings in spring 2023. That summer, the commission concluded it was “unable to state with confidence that all potential environmental effects of this project have been fully considered and that adequate detailed plans have been prepared for preventing or mitigating these effects.” …
….the project will be pitched under a new name, Project SiMBA, “where ‘Si’ stands for silica, ‘MB’ represents Manitoba, and ‘A’ symbolizes action,” Somji said in a Dec. 23 emailed statement. The rebrand was first announced in November. …
“We are able to share with our stakeholders that there have been no impacts to the aquifer or surrounding groundwater, or the stability of the ground from the surface,” Somji said.Why ignore in this article that impacts to citizen water wells already happened when earlier incantations of the company did test drilling and piling harmful silica sand uncovered, unmitigated to blow into peoples’ and animals’ lungs?
… After the project was rejected in February, Sio Silica announced in a press release that it had “entered into discussions with Broken Head (sic) Ojibway Nation for the location of advanced manufacturing facilities on their lands” and the community was going to “meaningfully participate in the development of our project through education, jobs, benefits and revenues.”
…“These benefits will disappear if the project is cancelled,” the company said.Fucking frac’ers and their related projects are all the same. Lie Lie Lie; Promise Promise Promise; Threaten Threaten Threaten. And when the cancers hit and resident water wells go bad, corporate goodwill vanishes into cancerous clouds of silica sand blowing in the wind. I do not believe the promised benefits and riches will materialize. In my professional opinion, the community and province is much better off without this project…
In an email, Somji said the company has held round-table discussions “to listen, build trust, and explore areas of shared interest, such as environmental stewardship, economic opportunities, and sustainable development.”
None of the company’s activities will be on Brokenhead lands, Somji said. …
… Those opportunities included an equity share that would start somewhere in the range of $10-12 million annually and gradually increaseTypical frac bribery with which to divide and conquer the impacted communities and families on whose lands the activities and impacts will be? with every year the mine was in production, reaching $20-24 million “within a few years,” Somji said. It would also include employment, training and certification opportunities for Brokenhead members. …
“We have proposed to set up a committee where that committee has full access to all of our data as it comes in line. You’ll have access to the site, can walk it whenever you choose and every month our team will provide summary reports,” Somji told members. “That committee would have the ability to say ‘stop.’”This is a meaningless statement. Anyone can say stop anytime. The more important question is, will the company stop if the committee says stop? Or anyone else says stop? I doubt it.…
Somji confirmed in the email the company has committed to sharing data and project updates, supporting environmental monitoring initiatives and offering employment, training and certification opportunities “that benefit local communities.” He did not comment on the specific economic benefits offered to Brokenhead, citing confidentiality.Pffft. Promises Promises that will likely be conditional upon all members signing Non Disclosure Agreements (NDAs, or Gags). “Committed to” are words easily spewed that have been proven over and over to be meaningless when spewed by frac’ers or related companies. Commitments and promises are voluntary and unenforceable.…
Taylor Galvin, an environmental scientist and Brokenhead member who attended the round-table discussions, said she struggles to trust the company will follow through on any economic promises. Galvin has worked with several Indigenous communities impacted by industrial operations including hydroelectric development and mining.
“Those are just empty promises that every First Nation has heard,” she said in an interview.
“I don’t put a price on our water — especially groundwater as amazing and immaculate as it is where they’re proposing this project.” …
From the outset, Sio Silica’s appeal to Brokenhead “caused a great divide in our community,” Galvin said.
The company first approached community members in July, when the band invited members to a “major project meeting” and fish fry. Details of the project were not provided.
“They advertised it in a very discreet way,” Galvin said. …
Alongside Somji, Sio Silica was represented by Carla Devlin, current mayor of nearby East St. Paul, who was named a vice-president of the company in the summer.
Brokenhead owns parcels of land in the RM of East St. Paul and members have expressed concern Devlin’s position with the company could pose a conflict of interest.
… “We are at a disadvantage,” Smith said. “We don’t have access to our own capacity, to our own technicians, our own experts — those are things that are very expensive.
“It’s well known that we are always faced with economic challenges in our communities and it’s almost like the company sees our vulnerability and preys on it.”
…
In my view, the most important message Mr. LeNeveu gave the community, as well as reporting on the risks, harms and environmental damages, is that silica sand cannot be used to make the silicon metal for solar panel manufacturing promised by Sio.
The former Manitoba Con Minister Jeff Warton signed a MOU with RCT to build this billion dollar facility, so I expect the companies involved hope Poilievre wins the federal election. Are the BON being synergized into a massive liability and is Sio trying to do an end run around the province by moving the plant to their land, forcing the project to become federal?Mr. Carney, if you win, no matter what shit Trump threatens Canada with for his pal Putin, and if the company tries to get approval via taking it federal via the BON, you must say no to this dubious project!
Politicians, regulators and main media continue to ignore the most important evidence, notably that the sand is not suitable for making silicon metal used in making solar panels.
Former Economic Development, Investment and Trade minister, Jeff Wharton, subject of an ethics investigation regarding the Sio Silica project, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with RCT Solutions five weeks after the government received the Clean Environment Commission(CEC) Report and before the Feb 16, 2024, official license denial to Sio.
The July 26, 2023, MOU would see our government “provide a One-Window/Concierge Service to RCT to assist them…by supporting various economic stimulus programs” i.e. taxpayer dollars. RCT would “build a 10 Gigawatt fully integrated solar panel manufacturing facility, including a glass factory…silica sand sourced in the province of Manitoba would be an essential input in its entire production process”.
The sand would need to be pure enough to produce solar-grade silicon which requires a minimum of 99.9999%(6N) purity. (Johnston et al.,2012; Safarian et al.,2012)
“A review of high-purity quartz for silicon production in Australia” (A. Jennings et al. 2024, see comments for access) states: “High-purity quartz (HPQ) is the only naturally occurring and economically viable source for the production of silicon…The refining of HPQ to produce silicon requires gravel to cobble-sized feedstock (30–100 mm).
Silica sand is currently unsuitable for the production of silicon, as the particle size is too small for the silicon smelting process (PricewaterhouseCoopers, Australian Silicon Action Plan, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Commonwealth of Australia, 2022)…There is no definitive consensus within the industry on the definition of HPQ with regard to impurity profiles; however, a commonly accepted definition in the literature is that the sum of impurities (Na, K, Li, Al, Ca, Fe, Ti, B and P) analyzed on single quartz grains should be <50 ppm, where the concentration of each element is Al <30 ppm, Ti <10 ppm, Na <8 ppm, K < 8 ppm, Li <5 ppm, Ca <5 ppm, Fe < 3 ppm, P < 2 ppm and B < 1 ppm (Harben, Citation 2002; Müller et al.,Citation 2012).”
According to Sio Silica’s Oct 2023 BRU Property Technical Report Summary filed to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the measured impurities in the sand exceed the accepted literature values. Also, the measured sand particle sizes are “too small for the silicon smelting process.” The sand is currently unsuitable for the production of silicon metal for solar panel manufacturing.
Why did the MB government sign an MOU to provide tax and grant incentives to RCT Solutions to produce silicon metal from MB silica sand for the manufacturing of solar panels when production using silica sand is currently not available?
Even if new technology is successful in using sand for silicon production, the impurity levels exceed required HPQ values. Will the MB government allow Sio Silica to continue seeking approval to advance this nonviable project with its novel, high risk and arguably unlawful mining process that puts Manitoba’s drinking Water and environment at grave risk?
It is time for Premier Kinew to direct the MB Clean Environment Commission to hold a public hearing for the development of a “real critical mineral strategy”. It is time for Premier Kinew to bring about meaningful reform of Manitoba’s environmental and mineral legislation to ensure for evidence based analysis for real and enforceable environmental protection.
Image: BRU Technical Report Summary (link in comment section): Tables 8.9 & 8.11 provide values for sand that has been sieved, water washed, dried and passed through magnetic separation 3x. The mean impurity level for Iron(Fe) is 55.1ppm with a standard deviation of 19.1 ppm. For the given standard deviation, 95% of samples would be between 16.9 and 93.3 ppm Fe, far above accepted literature values of 3 ppm for HPQ. The mean level for aluminum(Al) of 478 ppm also far exceeds accepted measurements of 30 ppm.
So too for other listed elements. Foremost, Phosphorus(P) and Boron(B) are critically important in the production of solar grade silicon and must be below 2ppm & 1ppm respectively since the physiochemical properties of B & P are very similar with silicon, thus making them very difficult to remove.
Boron was not reported for the treated 40/70 size fraction and only 1 sample for the 70/140 size is reported for Bru 92-8 at 1.3ppm. Oddly the value for untreated 70/140 size sand for this borehole is not reported but the untreated Bru 13-1 is at 26.1ppm. Four untreated B values range from 8.5 ppm to 39.4 ppm in the 40/70 size fraction, all far above accepted values of 1ppm. P is not measured in the treated samples and B inadequately, yet Sio’s project hinges on the silicon market.
It is important to note that the sand treatment was undertaken by Sio Silica’s lab which is not independent nor accredited.Also, a proper chain of custody is only shown for the 2017 and 2018 untreated sand samples. Chain of custody is essential in demonstrating the samples have not undergone degradation, environmental leaching, misidentification, or tampering prior to analysis. There are no chain of custody reports for all of the samples sent from the BRU area near Vivian Manitoba to the Sio Silica uncertified laboratory in Calgary.
The report states multiple locations contained outdoor stockpiles that would have been exposed to environmental leaching and degradation. During the CEC hearing on the Sio Silica extraction project, Dr. Hollaender, an expert for the CEC stated samples for the geochemical analysis from an outdoor stockpile was unacceptable. The only valid analysis, supported by proper chain of custody documentation, was in 2017, Table 8.2, by Loring and 2018, Table 8.4 by AGAT. These tables give P values for the untreated sand of 100 ppm. The 2017 results for untreated silica(SiO2) “averaged 97.26% to 99.23%”. Note that no acid base accounting analysis was done to determine the potential for acid drainage as specified in Canadian Federal MEND guidelines.
The acceptable evidence from the report with essential proper chain of custody documentation and accredited analysis and handling demonstrates the sand is not high purity and at best can be used for fracking and glass as identified in MB’s 2024 Geological Survey.(See OLS Post Nov 14, 2024)
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It seems this aquifer-invading project might turn out to be a worse scandal than Bre-X cumulatively with Pete Hegseth’s Signal Chat Whisky Leaks. Who is funding it? Sio Silica employees still draw salaries and access money to promote the project. Many millions of dollars have been spent with seemingly no return and likely none from solar panel manufacturing.
There is significant backing from influential conservative politicians at every level (including breaking the law to secretly try to approve the project after the Manitoba cons lost the election) which in my view makes the project highly suspect. Cons tend to gleefully screw constituents, finance industry profits using taxpayer funds, and don’t give a shit about damages to impacted communities, drinking water, clean up or when taxpayers’ pockets are emptied to make their rich pals richer. To me, this sand project makes zero sense financially!
I fear that corporate evil is emboldened by the rise of the Nazis in USA, Canada (e.g. the Fucker Trucker invasions that cost Canadians billions of dollars and quisling Premier of Alberta Danielle Smith harming Canada to serve Trump), Germany, notably the AfD and elsewhere.
Scientific evidence is loathed by fascists while disinformation-misinformation propaganda is God to them, and fed regularly to trusting people, notably rural.
To me, this sand project reeks more of propaganda than science.
Scammers and con men rule when fascism rises, especially in corporations and most especially in oil, gas, frac and related because war and annexation devours energy, lots and lots of energy.
Is revival of this project a back door entry Nazi America schemed up (much corporate in Calgary is Republican USA oil and gas) to weaken and prepare to invade/annex Canada by destroying a massive vital fresh water aquifer and establishing a frac sand base? Nothing else makes sense, that’s how stupid the project appears to me. Was it brought back from the dead because Musk assured rich oil and gas polluters that he was buying the US presidency and would get idiot Trump back into power, and that he bought and or is financing/influencing MiniMAGA Pierre Poilievre too, and was going to use X to farm rage and hate in Canadians and pump out disinformation and lies to get rid of Justin Trudeau so that corporations can do as they please? Yep, that sounds extreme and cruel, but appears Nazi Musk is just that.
“Our project is safe and is one that will supply Manitoba and the world with a much-needed product, without harming the environment. In fact, silica sand is essential to many green energy projects such as solar panels and is a critical component for semi-conductors. Unfortunately, we didn’t adequately communicate the details of the project in our last application with the Government of Manitoba. We are committed to getting it right this time.” — Carla Devlin, Property Developer serving as Mayor of East St. Paul, MB
Hundreds of Manitoba property owners in eight municipalities had registered their opposition to a proposal put forward by Calgary-based Sio Silica that could affect their drinking water as a result of the drilling of over 7700 wells south and east of Winnipeg over the next 24 years to extract millions of tonnes of ultra pure silica sand for use in the production of solar panels, semiconductors and batteries.
The proposed process would involve injected air to bring up a mixture of water and sand from the water table.
Premier Wab Kinew decided in February 2024 not to grant a licence to Sio Silica based on concerns by the provincial Clean Environment Commission of the risks to the aquifer and the subsurface geology.
Interview with Dennis LeNeveu, spokesperson for community opposition by Suzanne Forcese
WT: WaterToday has had an on-going conversation with you Dennis since 2020 regarding silica sand in Manitoba. Please introduce yourself to our viewers giving us a brief bio and your involvement with the silica sand projects.
LeNeveu: I hold a B.Sc. honours physics; M.Sc. biophysics; and a B.Ed. I worked for twenty years at the Whiteshell Nuclear Research Establishment in Pinawa, Manitoba, first as the Site Safety and Radiation Protection Officer and then as a researcher on the disposal of Canada’s high-level nuclear fuel waste.
After retirement I was asked by a group, What the Frack Manitoba, to help provide scientific information on the proposed silica sand mine at Wanipigow, Manitoba.
In 2019 I was asked to help with the local opposition to the proposed CanWhite (now rebranded as Sio Silica) silica sand mine near Vivian, Manitoba.
In January of 2022, CanWhite changed its name to Sio Silica to better reflect its change of focus on high purity silica applications rather than sand for hydraulic fracking.
In 2023 I was accepted as an official participant (DLN) in the Clean Environment Committee (CEC) Hearings into the extraction of silica sand near Vivian.
WT: Earlier this year WT reported that in February 2024 Premier Wab Kinew and the new NDP Government of Manitoba decided not to grant Sio Silica a licence to extract silica sand from the aquifer that could potentially affect a large swath of Southeastern Manitoba’s drinking water.
What has changed since then?
LeNeveu: On July 21, 2024, Sio Silica gave a presentation to the Brokenhead First Nation on a proposal for manufacturing on reserve land of silicon metal from their high purity silica sand for solar panels and other applications.
In August 2024, Sio Silica hired the mayor of East St. Paul as vice president.
WT: WaterToday reached out to Mayor Carla Devlin, Mayor of East St. Paul, MB, whose role as the new VP of Sio Silica will be to oversee daily operations and build relationships with community and First Nations members to ensure that everyone understands the benefits of the project to community and economy.
Ms. Devlin provided us with the following:
Our focus remains on ensuring the highest standards of environmental safetyBla bla bla, we frac-impacted have heard that before, while the frac’ers break the law with assistance from politicians, courts and regulators, sickening our pets and livestock, and us and our loved ones, quaking our homes, poisoning our air, water, lands, and dividing with bribes to destroy our communities. Ensuring highest standards does not mean high (or even low) standards will happen.while recognizing the global importance of providing critical minerals. It’s important to note that our process does not use any chemicals. The minimal water extracted from the sand is treated with UV light before being returned to the environment. With a scientific approach guiding our efforts, we aim to deliver a project that reflects our commitment to both environmental stewardship and responsible resource development.
It’s important to note that our process utilizes water well drilling technologies used every day, locally and around the world. and we do not use any chemicals for the production of the sand or treatment of the water.
Dennis, can you comment on Ms. Devlin’s statement please.
LeNeveu: Since the new proposal has yet to be submitted to the Manitoba Approvals Branch, I can only comment on what was presented in the previous rejected proposal.
The Sio Silica November 2023 Presentation to Investors and the US Security Exchange Commission states:
“Metix and Mintek, world leaders in silicon smelting and metallurgical engineering products, have successfully created silicon metal from Sio’s high purity silica. This is the first time silicon metal was created successfully from silica sand.”
Metix and Mintex are two companies involved in the SisAl Pilot project (a consortium of 22 partners from 9 European countries) to produce silicon metal from the smelting of high purity silica sand and quartz stones using aluminum to remove the oxygen in silicon dioxide (silica) rather than the developed method of using carbon.
I would also like to comment on the following scientific reference:
A paper by Bullón Camarasa, published May 2022 in Proceedings of the Silicon for the Chemical & Solar Industry XVI – ISBN 978-82-692919-0-2 states:
At an anecdotal level, it can be verified that normally polysilicon manufacturers indicated that beach-type sand is the origin of metallurgical silicon as they don´t know that this type of sand cannot be introduced into electric arc furnaces, whose raw material is quartz in stones, never sand.”
Sio Silica has not produced any evidence and data from Metix and Mintex on the amount and purity of silicon metal produced from Sio’s high purity sand. Sio’s own words “for the first time” and the literature demonstrate that there is no currently established commercial method for the production of silicon metal from high purity silica sand. Quartz stones are required. From this evidence it appears that Sio Silica’s proposal to manufacture silicon metal from their high purity silica sand is not possible at this time.
WT: Can you comment on the ‘ultra pure silica sand’ claim.
LeNeveu: 4. On Dec 5, 2022, Sio Silica Corporation (Sio Silica) contracted Stantec Consulting Ltd (Stantec) to prepare a Technical Report Summary of the silica sand purity for the Sio Silica minerals claims near Vivian Manitoba.
On November 13, 2023, Pyrophyte Acquisition Corporation, a special purpose acquisition company, entered into a business combination agreement with Sio Silica to promote capital acquisition and share trading. The Stantec report was submitted to the SEC to acquire access for trading of Sio Silica shares on the New York Stock Exchange Extensive test results throughout the property show that magnetic separation used by Sio Silica was successful in increasing sand purity from a mean of 99.86% SiO2 to 99.91% SiO2.
The Stantec report states; “The 99.99% SiO2 and low iron content (<100ppm Fe) are typically marketed to manufacturers of solar glass, smart glass for computing and mobile device applications, and semiconductors, among other uses, and receive a premium compared to 95% SiO2 purity.”
Stantec did not conduct extensive acid-base accounting testing of the entire deposit to evaluate the potential for acid rock drainage as required by federal MEND guidelines.
The production of silicon metal was not mentioned in the report.
However, in July 2023 the Government of Manitoba and RCT Solutions of Germany, who are allied with Sio Silica, signed a memorandum of understanding for a three-billion-dollar solar cell manufacturing proposal in Manitoba.
The paper by Camarasa gives the critical purity level for production of silicon metal by the SisAl method referred to by Sio as less than 2 ppm of boron and phosphorus (B and P).
The Stantec report did not quantify the boron content of the silica sand. The Stantec report gives the phosphorus pentoxide (P2O5) concentration of the sand as 0.01 weight percent which is above the 2-ppm level for phosphorus contamination.
The Sio Silica Environment Act Proposal (EAP) for the silica sand extraction reports that boron is elevated in the sandstone formation near Vivian.
Thus, the Stantec and EAP data indicates that the Sio Silica sand has unsuitably high B and P levels for production of silicon metal using the SisAl method that Sio Silica claims was used to make silicon metal “for the first time” from their sand.
Sio Silica is basing their latest efforts to promote the project on the large economic and societal benefits that would result from large scale manufacturing of silicon metal for solar panels using the high purity Sio Silica sand.
The available evidence indicates that silicon metal cannot be made from Sio Silica sand by any established method.
WT: Both Mayor Devlin and the Sio Silica website claim the proprietary borehole extraction as a safe and proven method and that the impact on the local aquifer is almost net zero.
Le Neveu: The CEC report on the Sio Silica extraction of silica sand states:
Sio Silica proposes to mine silica sand using a novel approach known as airlift, in which air pumped down wells into a layer of loosely consolidated sand will draw up a mixture of sand and water. This airlift method is an established method of extracting water from wells….
The commission does not have sufficient confidence that the level of risk posed to an essential source of drinking water for the region has been adequately defined.
There are many unaddressed project detriments documented in the CEC Hearing and in public comments by Dr. E. Pip and others, such as land subsidence at the extraction sites, collapse into sand extraction cavities of the pyritic and selenium laden shale aquitard separating the two regional carbonate and sandstone aquifers, mixing of relatively lower quality carbonate aquifer water with the higher quality sandstone aquifer water which is forbidden by Manitoba groundwater regulations, acid drainage and selenium contamination when the large volume of collapsed shale is brought to the surface with the sand, injection into the aquifers, of project diesel fumes and microbes, by the compressors used for the airlift extraction, and undemonstrated return of potentially contaminated process water to the aquifer following filtration and UV radiation.
WT: In your opinion, what actions would be required by Sio Silica in a new proposal?
LeNeveu: Sio Silica claims that they could address documented project concerns through a licence that would require a stepwise process to evaluate and mitigate concerns.
Such data gathering and essential information on environmental detriment must be at the proposal stage so that the viability of a project can be determined before the granting of a licence.
Sio Silica should conduct independently monitored field testing, acid–base accounting testing, and documentation of the safety and viability of their processes and manufacturing methods before submitting a revised environment act proposal. Granting a licence without this essential testing would be like trying to close the barn door after the horses have bolted and would provide a further basis for risky investment.
Proceeds from the business combination are expected to accelerate Sio’s entrance into the high-purity crystalline quartz market
Sio Silica Corporation, a Canada-based company that seeks to become a global leader in the production and supply of environmentally and ethically produced high-purity quartz silica, and Pyrophyte Acquisition Corp, a special purpose acquisition company, announced today that they have entered into a definitive Business Combination Agreement. The terms of the business combination reflect an implied enterprise value of $708m and equity value of $758m for the combined company. Following the closing of the business combination, any proceeds are expected to be used to fully fund the construction of the first phase of Sio’s extraction and processing facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Upon closing, the name of the combined company will be Sio Silica Incorporated, and its common shares and warrants are expected to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
Environmentally-friendly extraction
Sio has approximately 15.2bn tonnes of in situ high-purity silica including an estimated 146 tonne measured and indicated resource and an estimated 345m tonne inferred resource and intends to initiate a mining plan that ensures a comprehensive and active environmental stewardship over the years to come. Once the processing facility becomes operational, Sio expects to become a leading environmentally friendly producer of high-purity quartz silica, a unique natural resource and critical mineral. Sio plans to leverage its patent-pending extraction process using proven technology to extract and process silica that exceeds 99.9% purity, providing a significant cost advantage within its industry. Sio’s extraction method will not require truck traffic, surface mining, tunnelling, dust generation, or chemical cleansing. In combination with its extraction and processing facility using renewable electricity, natural gas, and efficient processing, Sio expects to make considerable inroads to contribute to a low carbon future. Anticipated applications for Sio’s high-purity quartz silica include photovoltaics, solar panels, semiconductors, electronics and batteries.
A gift of nature
“We are excited to partner with Pyrophyte to become a leading producer of high-purity quartz silica,” said Feisal Somji, Chief Executive Officer of Sio. “Our streamlined approach to creating environmentally responsible solutions has attracted high profile strategic alliances, which puts us at an important inflection point in our growth trajectory. These solutions follow the Manitoba Clean Environment Commission’s recommendations, and the Company is working with the Province of Manitoba to finalise an extraction licence that will exemplify the commitment and practices of the Company to be a leader in environmental protection. We will continue to work with the Province of Manitoba and its stakeholders to put the Province on the global stage as a major contributor to achieving global net zero targets through decarbonisation initiatives that require high-purity silica.”
Chairman of Pyrophyte, Dr. Bernard J. Duroc-Danner, said, “Sio’s extensive high-purity quartz silica deposit just south of Winnipeg Manitoba is a remarkable gift of nature. Based on Stantec’s report, the deposit is very large and exceptionally consistent throughout. The silica ore comes out at naturally occurring high-purity levels with very low levels of contaminants. The deposit is very shallow allowing for a production process which is exceptionally simple, very low cost and environmentally low impact. The beneficiation needs are minimal, consisting of just a magnetic separation process and washing. No chemicals are required in the entire extraction and beneficiation processes while reclamation post production is immediate. We believe that Sio’s supply of high-purity quartz silica will benefit from very strong secular demand growth trends in North America and worldwide. Located next to extensive railroad infrastructure, the deposit is ideally located for ease of railway transportation to the West, South and East. Once operational, we expect Sio’s facility to combine an ideal transportation location, very low ore production costs, strong secular growth trends in demand and low-impact environmental footprint. We searched long and hard for the right candidate to combine with Pyrophyte and its energy transition mission. Sio fulfilled all our criteria. We are proud to join Sio on its journey to supply what is becoming in many countries around the world one of the most important strategic minerals for the world’s energy transition.”
Christopher Abbate, Co-Head of investment firm Riverstone Credit Partners, noted, “We are excited to support Sio in its mission to deliver this critical mineral that is required by a number of key growth areas, from semiconductors to several key industries driving decarbonisation, among others. As we evaluated the opportunity, we were particularly drawn to its vast, high-quality resource, with its low-cost development, guided by a high-quality management team that can draw upon the considerable experience from the Pyrophyte team in growing companies. We look forward to the bright future ahead.”
The Business Combination, which has been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of Sio and Pyrophyte, is subject to approval by Pyrophyte’s and Sio’s shareholders and other customary closing conditions. CEO Feisal Somji will continue to lead Sio, supported by a team of experienced operators. Pyrophyte’s leadership team will actively introduce key relationships to help accelerate Sio’s growth.
Weatherford is an American multinational oilfield service company that does a lot of frac’ing.
Oil and gas industry chief Bernard Duroc-Danner is no longer in his job after an accounting scandal at the services giant he led as chief executive and chairman.
Announcing his sudden exit, Weatherford International said it was “extremely grateful” for Mr Duroc-Danner’s “leadership, vision, loyalty and guidance” during a 30-year career with the company and its predecessors.
It comes less than two months after Weatherford, which has its corporate headquarters in Switzerland, with Europe and Caspian business run from Aberdeen, agreed to pay £112million to settle charges it inflated earnings by using deceptive income tax accounting.
Mr Duroc-Danner came under intense pressure to step down, with a leading US newspaper claiming he had “failed his employees, his company and its investors”.
Weatherford vice-chairman Robert Rayne steps up to the chairman’s role and chief financial officer Krishna Shivram is temporarily taking on additional CEO duties. …
Weatherford is one of the world’s largest multinational oilfield service companies, notching up £7.5billion in revenue last year.
It employs about 31,000 people and operates from about 1,000 locations, including manufacturing, service, research and development, and training facilities, in more than 100 countries.
The group’s recent settlement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) came after it restated its financial statements three times during 2011 and 2012.
SEC revealed Weatherford had fraudulently lowered the year-end sum set aside for income taxes each year by £80-£123.5million to “better align its earnings results with its earlier-announced projections and analysts’ expectations”.
Accountants were reportedly under pressure to show the alleged benefits of shifting the company’s tax domicile from the US to Bermuda, then Switzerland and eventually Ireland in search of a better rate.
Two former Weatherford senior accounting executives also agreed to settle charges that they inflated the company’s earnings by more than £720million over the same period.
The case is the latest in an ongoing SEC crackdown on fraud involving financial reporting and disclosures by publicly traded companies.
In 2013, Weatherford agreed to pay more than £200million to the US Department of Justice and the Department of Treasury and SEC, among others, to settle charges that it authorised bribes and other kickbacks to foreign officials to win business overseas.
1. Sio Silica was denied approval! Where are they magically going to pull approval from?! Pierre Picklehead, tanking in the polls? 2. Solar tech is evolving at such a rapid pace, by 2026 panels might no longer be made with high-purity quartz. Frac sand is and will be in demand, notably with the Musk Nazis currently destroying the USA and Turnip Trump pimping Drill Baby Drill while deregulating and abusing Americans faster than anyone can keep track of.
