Swan Lake First Nation (SLFN) Former Railway Right of Way (ROW) Remediation/Risk Management Project (CSV63)

Location: The project is situated in southern Manitoba. The coordinates are: Lat: 49.386575° N (or 49° 23' 11.7" N) and Long: 98.907489° W (or -98.907489°).

Proponent:     Swan Lake First Nation (SLFN)

Activities: The Remediation/Risk Management of the Former Railway Right of Way (ROW) in Swan Lake First Nation is an environmental cleanup initiative designed to address historical contamination along an abandoned rail corridor.

Planned Physical Activities and Physical Works:

  • Utility Locates & Pre-Field Site Preparation: Demarcating work boundaries, scanning for buried utility lines, and performing localized snow or vegetation clearing.
  • Segregated Excavation: Physically excavating contaminated soils using mechanical equipment. This entails digging out 1,900 m³ of soil at APEC 2, 6,610 m³ at APEC 3, and up to 29,530 m³ of ballast and underlying clay along APEC 7. To protect sensitive wetland ecosystems, no soil excavation or ballast removal will take place adjacent to the APEC 7 Area 2 wetlands.
  • Hauling and Transport: PHC- and PAH-impacted soil and ballast rock will be hauled to a licensed soil treatment facility. Lead-impacted soils will be taken to a licensed waste disposal facility, and discarded metal debris (~35 m² footprint) will be excavated and hauled to a scrap metal recycler.
  • Erosion and Sediment Controls: Prior to any ground disturbance, physical controls such as silt fencing and straw wattles must be constructed around wetland boundaries. In addition, a minimum 100-meter buffer zone will be enforced to prohibit equipment refueling near surface waters.
  • Confirmatory Sampling: Environmental technicians will conduct field screening of soil headspace vapours and collect soil samples from the excavation sidewalls and floor for laboratory confirmation before backfilling.
  • Backfilling and Compaction: Excavated zones will be backfilled with certified clean fill and compacted to return the terrain to structural stability.
  • Site Grading and Granular Cap Construction: Once the ballast and clay are removed, the remaining ROW mound will be graded to promote natural runoff and capped with a granular surface. This physical work will stabilize the corridor against erosion and establish a permanent walking path and ATV trail for community use.
  • Decommissioning Works: All existing monitoring wells within the excavation zone will be decommissioned.

Required Authority Action: Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) is the federal authority providing section 84 of Impact Assessment Act (2019) determination on whether or not the project is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effect.

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Latest update

October 13, 2026– The Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) intends to make a determination regarding whether the carrying out of the project is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects. To help inform this determination, the Indigenous Services Canada is inviting public comments until November 12, 2026 respecting that determination.

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Key documents

Key documents
Document number Document title File Date
1 Notice of Intent to Make a Determination – October 13, 2026 - October 13, 2026

Contacts

Indigenous Services Canada (ISC)
Jonathan Dehinbo, Senior Environmental Specialist
200 - 365 Hargrave Street
Winnipeg MB R3B 2K2
Telephone: 431-334-6471
Email: ayonniyi.dehinbo@sac-isc.gc.ca


Disclaimer

This map is for illustrative purposes. The markers represent the approximate locations based on available data. More than one marker may be identified for a given assessment.

  • Location

    • Swan Lake First Nation (SLFN) Former Railway Right of Way (ROW) Remediation/Risk Management Project (CSV63) (Manitoba)

  • Nature of activity

    • Remediation and conservation
    • Soil management

  • Assessment status

    In progress

  • Start date

    2026-10-13

  • Proponent

    Swan Lake First Nation

  • Authorities

    • Indigenous Services Canada

  • Assessment type

    Project on federal lands

  • Reference number

    90832

Nearby assessments

...within 200 kilometres
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