"It is hard news to take," said Eric Reder, Campaign Director for the Wilderness Committee. "Canada stopped mining national parks in 1930. Eight decades later and Manitoba still can't join the party?"

The Hudbay's Reed Mine is located in Grass River Provincial Park in northwest Manitoba. Grass River Provincial Park is a provincial park, but99% of the 227,900-hectare park is not protected from development. The nearest large, protected park is over 200 kilometres away.

"The Reed Lake mine proposed by Hudbay is within the unceded traditional territories of Mathias Colomb Cree Nation. This proposed mine raises serious concerns in relation to caribou populations, water quality, and carbon emissions. The province of Manitoba and the proponent, Hudbay, have failed to meet with MCCN, the true owners of these lands and resources, in good faith to obtain our free, informed and prior consent on any proposed activities within our territories." Chief Arlen Dumas of Mathias Colomb Cree Nation said when the mine project was announced in March 2013.