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A proposed wind farm development in southern Manitoba aimed at boosting the province’s electricity capacity has some residents worried it could transform their rural way of life.
Innergex Renewable Energy — a Quebec-based electricity generation company — and Swan Lake First Nation, in southern Manitoba, are proposing building 30 to 35 windtowers near the First Nation, about 135 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg.
The new wind farm would be close to, but separate from, an existing wind farm at St. Leon, to the east of Swan Lake First Nation.
The proposal comes after Manitoba Hydro issued a request for proposals looking to generate up to 600 megawatts of wind energy through Indigenous majority-owned projects.
Sara Mazur, who lives in the area, worries a large wind tower on a neighbouring field would disrupt the peace and quiet of the land she grew up on.
A family cabin near her house is nestled along a river brimming with wildlife. The cabin near St. Lupicin, just north of St. Leon, was built by her father as a memorial to her mother, who died when she was 10. Her father died when she was 16.
“It shouldn’t just be the farmer next to me that gets to decide … they can put it less than a kilometre from my property,” Mazur said.
Sara Mazur stands by a memorial cabin built for her mom near St. Lupicin. She’s worried about the effects of a proposed wind farm in the area. (Chelsea Kemp/CBC)
Manitoba Hydro started a formal search for companies in 2025 for Indigenous-led companies to build wind farms. Those deemed eligible to file proposals have until July to do so.
Though Hydro’s search for qualified companies has closed, the Crown corporation won’t reveal the identities of the companies under consideration to build the wind farms, though some have identified themselves.
Swan Lake Wind — a partnership between Swan Lake First Nation and Innergex — is proposing a 200-megawatt project.
Swan Lake Chief Jason Daniels declined to speak with CBC, saying the First Nation is still awaiting a decision from Hydro.
Adeline Thames, a development associate with Innergex based in Vancouver, says if the Swan Lake Wind project is approved, it will include wind turbines about 120 metres tall, generating between five and seven megawatts each.
There’s still a long road ahead, she said, including continuing conversations with the community about the design of the site. Innergex is hosting a town hall about the planned project at Somerset Community Hall on Wednesday evening.
Thames says the proposed wind farm presents “a great opportunity.”
“That wind is already there, flowing rapidly,” Thames said, pointing to the existing St. Leon wind farm, which was commissioned in 2006.
“Landowners, municipalities, local First Nations can just generate some economic opportunities from that power.”
‘Not in our front yard’
Bill Harrison, who has lived near St. Lupicin for 54 years, has started a petition against building wind turbines in the area. He worries it will transform an environment he loves.
“People say, ‘Oh, you’re just a NIMBY [not in my backyard],'” he said.
“But I say, ‘no, not in our front yard.'”
Harrison opposes the project for many reasons — he doesn’t want towers the size of a skyscraper next door, and says the flicker and sounds from the wind turbines are disruptive. He’s also concerned what will happen as towers age out of use.
Harrison says he’s raised his opposition with the provincial government, Swan Lake First Nation and others.
Bill Harrison, who lives near St. Lupicin, has started a petition against a wind farm expansion. (Chelsea Kemp/CBC)
Meanwhile, James Wilt, who works in policy development with Climate Action Team Manitoba, says the environmental coalition wants to see the province move faster on wind power.
Wind power is a cost-effective way to generate electricity year-round and can be particularly effective in the cold weather, Wilt said, meaning it could help meet high energy demands during the winter months.
While he acknowledges wind towers can change the landscape, many farmers have signed on for a chance of remuneration that could last decades, depending on the project, he said.
“The reality is that electricity generation has to come from somewhere … [and] hydroelectric dams are no longer really on the table,” Wilt said.
“At the end of the day, wind is going to be producing the cheapest electricity on the grid.”
Back in St. Lupicin, Mazur says she’d feel better if there were more environmental laws to protect the community, or regulations on windmill size and how far they are from each other.
She’s signed Harrison’s petition to stop the project.
“If it’s this big windmill that’s being built right in our back yard … we should have a say.”
WATCH | Proposed wind farm meets opposition:
Proposed wind farm meets opposition in southern Manitoba
Some people living near St. Leon say they don’t want a proposed new wind farm in the area. The planned 200-megawatt project, a collaboration between Swan Lake First Nation and Innergex Renewable Energy, still needs approval from Manitoba Hydro.