Reality Check
RC-32: How Many Peat Quarry Leases in Manitoba?
According to information obtained by Manitoba Wildlands from Manitoba Government sources there are 184 current peat quarry leases in Manitoba, accounting for a total area of 30,230 hectares (ha).
The majority of granted leases are held by a handful of companies. Three companies (Sun Gro Horticulture, Premier Horticulture, and Berger Pear Moss) hold nearly three-quarters of the total area leased for peat mining. (See: Table 1)
| Table 1: PEAT QUARRY LEASES IN MANITOBA - Jan. 2012 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Company | Total No. of Leases | Total Area in Hectares (Ha) | % Total by Area |
| Sun Gro Horticulture Canada Ltd. | 80 | 13,519 | 43.5% |
| Premier Horticulture Ltd. | 38 | 5,341 | 17.7% |
| Berger Peat Moss Ltd. | 20 | 4,155 | 13.7% |
| FPM Peat Moss Company Ltd. | 13 | 2,629 | 8.7% |
| Jiffy Canada Inc. | 10 | 1,997 | 6.6% |
| Tourbieres Lambert Inc. | 6 | 1,389 | 4.6% |
| Sunterra Horticulture (Canada) Inc. | 8 | 1,113 | 3.7% |
| Norman Tetreault | 3 | 164 | 0.5% |
| Soils Are Us | 2 | 119 | 0.4% |
| Gauthier Soils | 2 | 112 | 0.04% |
| T.R. & P Enterprises Ltd. | 1 | 51 | 0.2% |
| Manitoba Hydro | 1 | 1 | 0.003% |
| ALL COMPANIES TOTAL | 184 | 30,230 | 100%* |
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* Totals may not add up to 100% due to rounding errors
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There are also, 166 peat lease applications pending, accounting for 21,856 ha. The pending quarry leases are on hold due to a 2-year moratorium on new or expanded peat quarry leases enacted by the Manitoba Government June 2011.
The pending peat quarry lease applications of two companies (Tourbieres Lambert and Sunterra Horticulture) account for nearly nine-tenths of the total area. (See: Table 2)
Some of these current peat quarry leases, and pending peat quarry leases are inside provincial parks. Both Sun Gro Horticulture and Sunterra Horticulture have several leases inside Hecla / Grindstone provincial park, for example.
| Table 2: PEAT QUARRY LEASES PENDING IN MANITOBA - Jan. 2012 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Company | Total No. of Leases | Total Area in Hectares | % Total by area |
| Tourbieres Lambert Inc. | 82 | 9,815 | 44.9% |
| Sunterra Horticulture (Canada) Inc. | 62 | 9,730 | 44.5% |
| Berger Peat Moss Ltd. | 6 | 1,441 | 6.6% |
| Jiffy Canada Inc. | 14 | 743 | 3.4% |
| Sun Gro Horticulture Canada Ltd. | 2 | 128 | 0.6% |
| ALL COMPANIES TOTAL | 166 | 21,856 | 100%* |
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*Totals may not add up to 100% due to rounding errors
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