The provincial Progressive Conservative government released a strategy Tuesday that will broadly guide Manitoba’s actions to protect its water resources for years to come. The province said it will develop an action plan this winter to determine its future decisions. The strategy promises to “make every drop count” by valuing the province’s water resources. “The focus must shift from supply-side management solutions to approaches that reduce the amount of water we use,” the strategy states. Premier Heather Stefanson said now that the strategy is complete, the province will work with industry and environmental representatives to begin drafting its action plan. Manitoba Premier Heather Stephenson speaks at a news conference about the province’s new water strategy on Tuesday. (Travis Golby/CBC) “This important work is just the beginning,” he said at a news conference Tuesday at FortWhyte Alive. “I look forward to establishing new and improved ways of managing Manitoba’s water resources that will meet our environmental, social and economic needs now and into the future.” Stefanson said Manitoba’s collective water needs are changing as climate change and extreme weather significantly affect how much water is available. Environment, Climate and Parks Minister Jeff Wharton said such extreme weather events in recent years, such as floods and droughts, had highlighted the need for a new water strategy. “Water, like climate change, touches all areas of government and our society,” Wharton said at the news conference, adding that the plan is to finalize and release the action plan sometime in the spring. Manitoba Environment, Climate and Parks Minister Jeff Wharton says the province’s extreme weather events in recent years have highlighted the need for a new water strategy. (Travis Golby/CBC) Several other representatives at the press conference echoed the increased need for a water strategy as Manitoba sees more droughts and floods, including Colleen Sklar, executive director of the Metropolitan Region of Winnipeg — an association that includes representatives from the capital and surrounding municipalities — and Stephen Carlyle from the Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation. The strategy will serve as a guide as Manitoba works to protect its water resources — especially in the south, where communities and businesses are growing. “Although Manitoba as a whole has an abundance of high-quality surface and groundwater, several water sources in southern Manitoba are fully or nearly fully depleted,” the strategy states. In these areas, the potential for economic and community development has been limited, especially in the areas of potato irrigation and potato processing — both of which make significant contributions to Manitoba’s economy. The strategy also notes that Manitoba’s population is expected to grow by about 26 per cent, or about 360,000 residents, from 2020 to the early 2040s. However, the province’s water reserves are limited, meaning that without a concerted effort, “there is an increasing risk that available water reserves will not meet this growing demand,” the strategy says.
1st water plan in almost 20 years
Possible options for the action plan could include new water pricing structures, updated leak detection and repair, and landscape design that reduces or eliminates the need for irrigation, the strategy says. The province will consult with Manitobans as it considers various ideas. The strategy also commits to protecting biodiversity, groundwater and surface water quality, and meeting current and future water supply needs. Water infrastructure needs are pressing, but the “first challenge is our infrastructure deficit,” the strategy says, with some structures in need of rehabilitation or replacement. The strategy is Manitoba’s first in-depth look at water management since the former NDP government developed an approach in 2003. The new strategy also relies on input from people across Manitoba, including some that came from engagement made through the Enterprise Machine Intelligence and Learning Initiative, also known as EMILI. The industry-led not-for-profit organization was created to accelerate the development of the agri-food industry in the Prairies through digital farming technologies, the province’s website says. EMILI board chairman Ray Bouchard said that through extensive interviews with water experts and other consultations held on the water strategy, he heard excitement “about the opportunity that a water management strategy could provide for the environment and our economy”. Ray Bouchard, chairman of the board of the Enterprise Machine Intelligence and Learning Initiative, says he heard excitement about the new water management strategy in the consultations held before the plan was released. (Travis Golby/CBC) Bouchard, who is also president and CEO of Enns Brothers and chair of the Manitoba Business Council on Integrated Water Strategy, said EMILI recommended more than 60 action items for the water strategy. Most of that was included, he said, as were “a lot of the sectors we talked to and the different perspectives we heard.” Brenna Mahoney, general manager of Keystone Agricultural Producers, said the strategy meets most of the agricultural sector’s water needs. Now, Mahoney said farmers the lobbying group has spoken to are looking forward to working with the province as it develops its water action plan. “Many farm families in Manitoba have worked on their land for generations and can provide the knowledge and expertise needed to ensure the action plan accurately reflects soil and environmental conditions,” he said.
