Federal, Manitoba governments announce funding to help protect against effects of chronic flooding

The federal and Manitoba governments have announced joint funding to build the Lake Manitoba and Lake St. Martin outlet channels, which will help protect residents and communities in the Lake Manitoba basin from the impacts of chronic flooding.

Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger was joined on Friday by Candice Bergen, Minister of State (Social Development) and MP for Portage-Lisgar, to announce the funding. Manitoba is investing $330 million in the project as part of its $5.5 billion, five-year core infrastructure plan that is committed to building and repairing roads, bridges and “addressing the unprecedented flooding faced by Manitoba communities in many parts of the province,” the Government of Manitoba said in a release. The Government of Canada is contributing up to $165 million for the project, which has an estimated total cost of $495 million.

“We are proud to invest in the Lake Manitoba and Lake St. Martin outlet channels project,” Bergen said in the release. “It will enable the province to monitor and adjust the water levels on Lake Manitoba while supporting Canada’s economic well-being.”

Selinger added that the investment will “create good jobs and give Manitoba communities the protection they need for growth and economic prosperity in the future.”

The project consists of the construction of an additional outlet channel from Lake Manitoba to Lake St. Martin and the conversion and enlargement of the Lake St. Martin emergency outlet channel. This includes the construction of a permanent structure at the start of the Lake St. Martin channel, as well as an enhancement of the outlet channel, the release explained. The project also involves the construction of a permanently engineered channel with an outlet to Lake Winnipeg, bypassing Dauphin River First Nation.

“The permanent structure will significantly reduce the economic burden that chronic flooding has had on the Province of Manitoba,” the release concluded.