Province promises $1.4 million for flood-recovery projects

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/08/2014 (4304 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The province pledged more than $1.4 million to flood-recovery projects in Manitoba Monday.

The Manitoba government will assist the rural municipalities of Victoria Beach, St. Clements, Bifrost, Riverton and Gimli to boost flood protection at Albert, Patricia and Pebble beaches, Riverton and the Willow Island access road, Premier Greg Selinger announced Monday.

Funding for the projects is to be drawn from the Building Manitoba Fund. 

“The province is pleased to partner with the municipalities to build permanent dike protection,” Selinger said in the prepared announcement.

The Building Manitoba Fun is Manitoba’s program for sharing provincial tax revenue with municipalities.

Municipalities are to receive infrastructure and other project funding equal to one per cent of the provincial sales tax.

Although there is funding available for flood-related activities through the federal-provincial Disaster Financial Assistance program arrangements, not all projects qualify under federal guidelines, the province said in the announcement.

The announcement identified the following projects for aid:

RM of Gimli – Willow Island access road improvements

•The island is connected to the mainland by a narrow strip of land and high water levels on the lake, combined with other weather events, often cause the road to go underwater. The grant will allow the RM to undertake improvements to the access road which is susceptible to flooding. The province, through the BMF, will fund 90 per cent of the work to a maximum of $300,000.

RM of St. Clements – Patricia Beach community dike

•The Patricia Beach diking project will help protect approximately 60 individual residences and cottages. The area sustained considerable damage in the October 2010 “weather bomb” and has been subject to flooding again in 2014. The province, through the BMF, will fund 90 per cent of the work to a maximum of $800,000.

RM of Victoria Beach – Albert Beach flood protection

•The RM of Victoria Beach is currently evaluating options for increased protection including rehabilitating existing protection that has been damaged. The province, through the BMF, will fund 90 per cent of the work to a maximum of $300,000.

RM of Bifrost – Pebble Beach flood protection

•The Pebble Beach area, adjacent to Lake Winnipeg, is increasing protection building on works that were undertaken in 2005. 

Village of Riverton – community dike

•The Icelandic River that runs through the RM of Bifrost has a very narrow channel south of the Village of Riverton. This project will provide permanent flood protection in the vicinity of the Riverton High School. The work will consist of raising an existing road, constructing a new dike, and associated drainage and remedial work.