Provincial government inviting public feedback to chicken farm by Feb. 9
A Hutterite colony in the RM of Armstrong that’s proposing to farm 140,000 chickens and spread the manure in the RM of Gimli will be subject to a review by the provincial government.
Harbour colony in the RM of Armstrong is proposing to spread manure from a 140,000-strong chicken operation on various pieces of land in the RM of Gimli
And the government is inviting the public to provide their feedback to the colony’s proposal by Feb. 9.
The Harbour colony is proposing to establish a chicken operation consisting of 60,000 broilers, 40,000 layers and 40,000 pullets, according to an animal units calculator document that’s part of an information package publicly available on the provincial department of municipal and northern relations’ livestock public registry website.
Harbour colony is associated with the Crystal Spring Hutterite colony, which is proposing to build a wastewater lagoon south of the proposed chicken-farming operation, and along the shared RM of Armstrong and RM of Gimli border.
It’s unclear whether Harbour is the new name of the Crystal Spring colony or a separately named entity running the chicken operation.
Harbour colony’s proposed chicken operation consists of 764 animal units. Animal units is a standard livestock measure that’s used to calculate the excretion of nitrogen (in manure) annually. Animal numbers refer to a head count.
Anything over 300 animal units is subject to review.
“The establishment or expansion of a livestock operation that has 300 Animal Units or more and requires a municipal conditional use approval is subject to Part 7 of The Planning Act. This includes a review by the provincial Livestock Technical Review Committee (TRC),” states Harbour colony’s site-assessment report dated Dec. 1, 2025. “The Technical Review Committee Regulation requires a site assessment be undertaken by the proponent to help the committee complete its review and allow the public to comment on the proposal.”
In February 2020, members of the Crystal Spring colony from St. Agathe appeared as a delegation at Armstrong council (see Feb. 20, 2020, edition of the Express online), telling council the population of their new Armstrong colony would be about 97 people and that they intended to farm [chickens] around 15,000 layers and an unspecified number of broilers, as well as make hog barn parts. The colony had already purchased section 28-18-3E but was seeking more land and had asked council to consider selling the colony two quarter sections of nearby RM-owned land at NW and NE 29-18-3E.
The site assessment document for Harbour colony posted on the province’s website indicates Harbour is located at NW and SW 28-18-3E, and that its 140,000-strong chicken operation will be located on the west half of 28-18-3E.
In 2024 Manitoba had 19 hatching egg producers and 125 registered broiler (meat) chicken producers, according to Manitoba Chicken Producers. Production in the province (broiler) increased 24.7 per cent from 2014 to 2024. Manitoba had four per cent of the total Canadian chicken production last year.
As regards manure management, Harbour colony indicates the manure type generated will be solid and that it will be applied to fields with setbacks from property lines and water sources.
“The first phase of construction will encompass the layer and pullet operations and it is expected that a year later the broiler barn will be constructed,” states the assessment. “Manure from the facilities will be handled as a dry product and field stored in the appropriate fields on which the manure will be applied as fertilizer the following year. The minimum setback from property lines and surface and groundwater will be adhered to at all field storage locations.”
According to an accompanying map titled “Spread field maps,” the fields are located in the RM of Gimli.
The map shows fields located north, south, west and east of the Gimli Airport, with some fields running along Seagram Road, Provincial Road 231, and Minerva, Siglavik, Willow Creek and Husavik roads.
A commercial manure applicator will not be used to spread the chicken manure nor will the manure be injected into the soil. The colony will instead “incorporate [the manure] within 48 hours.” The application of manure will occur in the fall.
“All setbacks [from water features, property boundary] have been met or exceeded,” states the assessment.
However, the assessment indicates that the lands designated for manure application are located in the Red River Valley Special Management Area or other area that is “subject to flooding on an average basis at least once every five years.”
The chicken facilities will consist of a new 60,050-square-foot layer barn, a new 35,558-square-foot pullet barn and a new 65,000-square-foot broiler barn, according to the site assessment. Water will be provided via an existing well on SE 28-18-3E. The confined livestock area or seasonal feeding area “will not have direct access to surface water.” Dead chickens will be disposed of via composting.
A wetland area on the colony will be affected by the proposed layer barn, and the colony is seeking to remove that wetland.
“The proposed layer barn will impact a class 3 wetland area approximately 0.12 acres in size,” states the site assessment. “A licence to construct water control works will be secured through Manitoba Environment and Climate Change to facilitate the removal of this wetland area.”
The Express could not find contact information for Harbour colony.
The Express reached out to the RM of Gimli and council for comment on Harbour colony’s proposal to spread chicken manure on various fields in the municipality.
The RM’s community engagement manager and council spokesperson Christine Payne said the province is ultimately responsible for the decision to either allow or deny the proposed chicken-farming operation, and the RM is encouraging residents to reach out to the province by Feb. 9 to share their views on the proposal.
“The RM of Gimli takes residents’ concerns seriously, particularly regarding potential impacts to surface water, Lake Winnipeg and downstream communities, as well as the broader cumulative effects of manure spreading within the Lake Winnipeg watershed,” said Payne. “While decision‑making authority rests with the province, the RM encourages residents to participate directly in the provincial review process by submitting their comments by the Feb. 9 deadline as public input is a key component of provincial decision‑making.”
The RM had launched a public-awareness campaign called “Speak for the Lake” with regard to the Crystal Spring colony’s proposal to build a wastewater lagoon on its Armstrong property, Payne added, and encouraged residents to sign up for an upcoming hearing on that before the Manitoba Clean Environment Commission.
The RM registered last year to speak at the CEC on the lagoon, and it has “been confirmed to have their position heard,” said Payne.
She said the RM will continue to “advocate for strong environmental safeguards, regulatory compliance, transparency and the protection of local water quality and community interests.”
As of Jan. 25, the CEC website shows no hearing date on the lagoon having been set.
The Express reached out to the provincial government regarding Harbour colony’s proposed chicken operation, but the government did not answer any questions for this story.
Documents relating to the chicken operation are publicly available on the provincial government’s municipal and northern relations website: https://www.gov.mb.ca/mr/livestock/trc-12-120_sa_attachments.html
People wishing to provide feedback to the proposed chicken operation can send an email to the provincial Technical Review Committee: TRC@gov.mb.ca
They can also send a fax to 1-204-948-4042 or send a letter to: Technical Review Co-ordination Unit, Municipal and Northern Relations, 604-800 Portage Ave., Winnipeg, MB, R3G 0N4.
All submissions to the government must include names and reference #TRC 12-120. Submissions are required no later than Feb. 9.
