Political bickering delays flood aid

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A couple whose home was deluged by blocks of ice last April spent their own cash building a berm. (JOHN WOODS / THE CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES)

A funding deal between the federal and provincial governments to protect residents living along the Red River north of Winnipeg from another devastating spring flood appears to be in jeopardy.

The standoff between the two levels of government has delayed work on dike construction and has left many residents feeling abandoned.

"They're blaming each other and meanwhile nothing is getting done," St. Clements resident Duncan Allan said Friday.

"We're just being kicked around like a political football."

The provincial government expected Ottawa to fund flood-mitigation projects on a 50/50 basis, similar to funding arrangements made after the 1997 flood.

But an Oct. 27 letter from federal Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan to former provincial Infrastructure Minister Ron Lemieux states a similar program is not on the table this year. Van Loan said in the letter, obtained by the Free Press, that there are various funds for infrastructure renewal and other projects, but no federal money for flood protection

"Beyond this there are no dedicated funds for disaster mitigation at the federal level at this time," Van Loan said.

Officials from both levels of government said Friday that discussions are continuing, but didn't release other details.

Felicia Wasylowski, spokeswoman for senior Manitoba MP and Treasury Board President Vic Toews, said Toews is looking at Ottawa's Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangement program to see how it can be used to co-fund flood-mitigation infrastructure north of Winnipeg.

"We are working to ensure proper due diligence is done on any new funding agreements with the province," Wasylowski said in an email.

Selkirk-Interlake Conservative MP James Bezan, whose riding includes the area flooded out last spring, was more blunt.

He said he believes former premier Gary Doer's resignation and the focus on the race to replace him distracted the Manitoba NDP government.

Bezan said now with things settled down the province can focus on tabling a flood-mitigation plan for the area north of Lockport.

"I'm hoping to see some concrete plans come out of it," Bezan said. "We need to have some kind of protection for residents living north of the city as well."

The federal government can't release funding until it sees a list of flood-proofing projects, Bazan said.

Manitoba Conservative Leader Hugh McFadyen agreed the NDP leadership race delayed talks. "Unfortunately, the political will was not there to make these decisions," he said.

Water Stewardship Minister Christine Melnick was unavailable Friday, but in an earlier interview she said talks with Ottawa will take a while.

"This is not a negotiate-over-lunch type of agreement," she said.

St. Clements residents have been waiting for months for provincial and municipal action on flood protection and buyouts of at-risk properties.

The residents have formed a group to lobby the province for quicker action.

Members of the Coalition of the North Red River Flood Protection Group went to the legislature more than a month ago to voice their anger. They also met with Bezan and provincial officials, but said they weren't satisfied.

"It's just very frustrating," Allan said.

One couple is spending $40,000 to have a berm built around their home before winter sets in. The couple moved back into their house in late September after spending the summer living in a trailer. Their home was swamped with ice floes on Easter Sunday. The couple wasn't eligible for a provincial buyout even though the home was deluged with 30 centimetres of water.

Meanwhile, a newsletter sent out by the RM of St. Clements recently said conditions are ripe for flooding next spring.

The newsletter said a wet, cool summer saturated the ground and that many drainage ditches remained unusually full of water over the summer.

The province is expected to release its 2010 spring flood forecast in February or early March.

The timing depends on the amount of snow we get, Manitoba senior flood forecaster Alf Warkentin said.

bruce.owen@freepress.mb.ca

Will hovercraft do?

CAN a hovercraft break up ice quickly on the Red River?

It sounds like a funny question to be asking during such a mild fall, but to the people living along the Red River, it's crucial.

That's because steps taken by the province last spring to cut up ice weren't always successful. Specially built ice cutters and the two Amphibex ice-breaking machines did not prevent widespread flooding north of the city and water and ice damage to dozens of homes.

Now, a Florida-based hovercraft company says it can supply a hovercraft -- once a deal is reached with the province -- to break up thick river ice on the river north of Winnipeg to Lake Winnipeg.

"All our models, even the smallest model, displaces over 100,000 pounds per square inch of hot air when on hover," said Dan McCaulley of Global Hovercraft Consulting. "We are in negotiations presently with the state of New York and Vermont in doing just what you are asking, breaking ice to keep an existing ferry system open throughout the winter seasons."

McCaulley said the company doesn't sell its hovercrafts, but builds and supplies one that will be suited to Manitoba's needs. The company also supplies a crew to operate and maintain it.

He said the company is currently looking at supplying a hovercraft to work in Canada's North to replace truck shipments made on temporary winter ice roads.

He added the composite constructed hovercraft are built to work in temperatures colder than -50 C and designed to operate with little noise.

The role a hovercraft could play as an ice breaker has been debated for more than a decade.

The province has considered bringing a Canadian Coast Guard hovercraft to Manitoba, but the difficulty has been in transporting it from eastern Canada. It would have to be dismantled and shipped by truck only to be reassembled here, a costly endeavour with an unknown benefit.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 14, 2009 A4