Licence No.: 2312
Licence Issued: March 11, 1998

IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE MANITOBA ENVIRONMENT ACT (C.C.S.M. c. E125)
THIS LICENCE IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO SECTION 11(1) TO:

MANITOBA HYDRO: "the Licencee"

for the construction, operation and maintenance of the Development being the Pointe du Bois - Bernic Lake 138 kV Transmission Line originating at the Pointe du Bois transformer station and terminating at the Bernic Lake mine transformer station in accordance with the Environment Act Proposal and the Environmental Impact Statement filed on December 15, 1997 and the additional information filed on February 6 and February 18, 1998 and subject to the following specifications, limits, terms and conditions:

DEFINITIONS

In this Licence:

"wetlands" means those areas where the water table is at or above the land surface for a long enough period each year to make the area capable of supporting aquatic or hydrophilic vegetation, and which have soils with characteristics indicative of wet conditions.

GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

This Section of the Licence contains requirements intended to provide guidance to the Licencee in implementing practices to ensure that the environment is maintained in such a manner as to sustain a high quality of life, including social and economic development, recreation and leisure for present and future Manitobans.

  1. The Licencee shall, during construction, ensure that any fuel storage areas established for the construction of the Development are located a minimum distance of 100 meters away from waterbodies including wetlands and ensure the storage areas comply with the requirements of Manitoba Regulation 97/88R - Storage and Handling of Gasoline and Associated Products.

  2. The Licencee shall ensure that all used petroleum products and other hazardous wastes generated by the machinery used in the construction and operation of the Development are collected and disposed of in accordance with Manitoba Environment and legislative requirements.

  3. The Licencee shall, during the full term of the construction of the Development, cleanup and deposit all debris from the construction site at a Waste Disposal Ground operating under the authority of a permit issued pursuant to Manitoba Regulation 150/91 respecting Waste Disposal Grounds.
  4. The Licencee shall, during construction, adhere to the general recommendations on design, construction and maintenance of stream crossings as specified in the Manitoba Department of Natural Resources guidelines titled Recommended Fish Protection Procedures for Stream Crossings in Manitoba, May 1996.

  5. The Licencee shall, prior to construction, provide a copy of this Licence to the contractor and subcontractor(s) involved in the Development.

  6. The Licencee shall, prior to construction startup, arrange a pre-construction meeting with representatives of Manitoba Environment's regional office in Steinbach and the Manitoba Department of Natural Resources Office in Lac du Bonnet in order to ensure ongoing compliance with the specifications, limits, terms and conditions of this Licence during the term of construction of the Development.

    SPECIFICATIONS, LIMITS, TERMS AND CONDITIONS

  7. The Licencee shall submit to the Director, prior to commencement of construction activities for the Development, a Pointe du Bois - Bernic Lake 138 kV Transmission Line Project Environmental Protection Plan. The Plan shall describe the approach to be used by the Licencee to dispose of the wood poles salvaged from the abandoned 72 kV transmission line and to monitor environmental conditions both during and after construction of the 138 kV transmission line in order to ensure that mitigative measures are applied by the contractors and subcontractor(s) systematically and in a manner consistent with the commitments made in the Point du Bois - Bernic Lake 38 kV Transmission Line Environmental Impact Statement and the additional information on the proposal filed on February 6 and February 18, 1998.

  8. The Licencee shall, prior to construction of the Development, consult with the Manitoba Natural Resources Eastern Region, with respect to on-site details and any mitigative measures identified in the Pointe du Bois - Bernic Lake 138 kV Transmission Line Project Environmental Protection Plan.

  9. The Licencee shall ensure that all contractors working on the Development restrict bush clearing to the transmission line right-of-way during clearing and construction activities. Clearing and use of other access trails, riparian buffer zones and borrow pits areas shall require prior approval of the Manitoba Natural Resources, Eastern Region.

  10. The Licencee shall ensure that all contractors working on the Development maximize their use of existing transmission line rights-of-way for access during clearing and construction activities associated with the Development. Disturbance to the existing vegetation growth along portions of the abandoned transmission line right-of-way not required for the Development shall be avoided.

  11. The Licencee shall adhere to the Department of Natural Resources Forest Damage Appraisal and Valuation policy with respect to timber removal and forest damage related to the Development.

  12. The Licencee shall maintain a buffer near wetlands and waterbodies along the transmission line right-of-way of 30 meters for application of herbicides. Any herbicide application shall be carried out in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements.

  13. The Licencee shall locate any temporary marshalling yards and storage sites required for the Development a minimum distance of 100 meters from any wetland and watercourse.

  14. The Licencee shall elevate above ground level any salvaged wood poles stored at temporary storage sites to prevent leachate from wood preservatives directly contacting the ground.

    REVIEW AND REVOCATION

  1. If, in the opinion of the Director, the Licencee has exceeded or is exceeding or has or is failing to meet the specifications, limits, terms, or conditions set out in this Licence, the Director may, temporarily or permanently, revoke this Licence.

  2. If, in the opinion of the Director, new evidence warrants a change in the specifications, limits, terms or conditions of this Licence, the Director may require the filing of a new proposal pursuant to Section 11 of The Environment Act.

"original signed by"
Larry Strachan, P. Eng.
Director
Environment Act

Client File No.: 4290.00