| Lake St. Martin Channel: A Manitoba Emergency | 25 July 14 |
While the provincial and federal government squabble over details of costs for flood evacuees, planning to remedy the situation seems to have been a shrug of the shoulders and a meek ‘carry on’ by the Manitoba government. With the flooding experienced this spring, a full three years later, the many evacuated residents of Lake St. Martin and other affected First Nations are still unable to return home. The 2014 crest water level in Lake Manitoba from the Assiniboine – Portage Diversion, will not be known until August. Assiniboine River floodwater travels from the Portage Diversion to Lake Manitoba, to Lake St. Martin to the Channel, to Lake Winnipeg. The Manitoba government recently indicated it needs about seven years to build permanent outlets to deal with the continued flooding in western Manitoba. The Manitoba provincial government says that amount of time includes design and engineering, public and First Nations consultations, regulatory approvals for environmental licence, land assembly and construction. The estimated cost is $300 million. Will meaningful First Nation consultations be a part of the next step?
View July 23, 2014 Winnipeg Free Press article |
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