Governments promise $495M to ease flooding around Lake Manitoba
New outlet channel to be constructed, while existing one will be enlarged.
A $495-million plan was announced Friday to ease flooding around communities near Lake Manitoba, such as Lake St. Martin, a reserve that has been flooded-out since 2011.
The plan calls for a second outlet channel from Lake Manitoba to Lake St. Martin to be constructed and for the current one to be enlarged.
The project was announced by Premier Greg Selinger and Candice Bergen, MP for Portage-Lisgar, near Lundar Beach Provincial Park, on the east shore of Lake Manitoba.
The province will spend $330 million while the federal government has promised $165 million.
The province constructed the original emergency channel after a flood in 2011 forced thousands — primarily from the Lake St. Martin First Nation — from their homes.
The reserve's residents spent years in hotel rooms and other accommodations, and the community is still rebuilding on higher ground.
Other First Nations were also impacted by the flooding, including Little Saskatchewan First Nation. About 1,100 people remain in temporary residences, many in hotels, in Winnipeg and other communities.
Representatives from affected First Nations were invited to Friday's announcement but did not show.
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The original $100-million, 6½-kilometre-long channel redirects water from Lake St. Martin to Big Buffalo Lake, where it then flows naturally into the Dauphin River and eventually into Lake Winnipeg.
However, it is currently only temporary, so officials can't operate it at all times and need federal approval to do so.
Under new provisions, the channel could be opened and closed at the province's discretion.
Selinger says having the two channels will protect lives and reduce the social and economic impacts of flooding.
Approximately 3,000 homes and cottages surround Lake Manitoba.
During the spring and into the summer of 2011, the province struggled to contain the swollen Assiniboine River by operating the Portage Diversion well over its capacity. The 29-kilometre channel starts at an inlet near Portage la Prairie and moves water from the river into Lake Manitoba.
The amount of water it fed into Lake Manitoba caused a surge in the lake's levels and resulted in considerable damage when spring storms whipped up waves that slammed into homes and cottages in many communities and flooded farmland that is still trying to recover.
Evacuees still struggling
Bertha Travers, an evacuee from Little Saskatchewan and an advocate for evacuees from Lake St. Martin, said she would rather have seen the governments put money into getting evacuees back home.
"A lot of money could have gone into fixing up our homes — some of them are liveable. They can be fixed [and] some people would be able to go home and live at home," she said. "But the government doesn't seem to see that. Nothing has been started in terms of the recovery.
"I can't live in my home — mould is affecting it. All they had to do is rebuild my home and get the mould out. I would have been happy to move back to my house."
Many of the evacuees are struggling being away from their reserves for so long, trying to live in cities that are not their homes.
"In fact, today I am dealing with a young mother, she is actually getting evicted today," Travers said.
"People are going home in boxes instead of going home. People have died. Many people have committed suicide, many of our elders have died of loneliness — many have never been away from home.
"Ever since they tore us apart our people have suffered. Our people have been placed at risk."
With files from The Canadian Press