‘Nothing is more important than fresh water’: $1.6 million to fund research, outreach projects

The Canada Water Agency is pouring funding into a series of projects and organizations that support the health of Lake Winnipeg — one of the largest freshwater bodies in the world.

“Lake Winnipeg sustains our economy, our communities, our way of life,” Liberal MP Terry Duguid told a small crowd of scientists and stakeholders gathered at FortWhyte Alive Saturday.

“(But) Lake Winnipeg is under pressure, it’s under challenges. Climate change, pollution, land use changes and invasive species all threaten its health.”

Duguid, who pushed for the creation of the national water agency, headquartered in Winnipeg, announced $1.6 million in funding for 10 projects over the next three years.

The news came just days after the agency’s one year anniversary — and at a time when it is bracing for potential cuts, as part of a broader government plan to reduce federal operating costs by as much as 15 per cent over three years.

Duguid said he does not know yet whether the agency will see its dollars slashed. That will be revealed Nov. 4, when Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne introduces the government’s 2025 budget.

“I have obviously been advocating for keeping the Canada Water Agency well funded because nothing is more important than fresh water,” he told reporters after the announcement.

“Even if there are reductions, we are well ahead of the game.”

Lake Winnipeg is the sixth-largest lake in Canada and features a watershed that spans parts of four provinces and four American states. It is vulnerable to high levels of nutrients caused by agricultural runoff, sewage and other contaminants that create large algae blooms and affect fisheries.

The lion’s share of the new funding, $708,900, will go to the Lake Winnipeg Research Consortium, which operates a pair of research vessels that monitor the health of the lake. The money amounts to two years of operational costs for the MV Namao and MV Fylgia.

Another $91,000 will be dedicated to community outreach and improving access to research data using digital dashboards and other tools.

“Partnerships like this are essential to sustaining the efforts of the many organizations working to better understand and address the complex challenges facing Lake Winnipeg,” said Gordon Goldsborough, the consortium board’s secretary-treasurer.

Researchers from the University of Winnipeg will use $218,000 in funding to map phosphorus in agricultural soils in the Red River Basin. The project will help scientists understand the risks of phosphorus runoff during snowmelt, said Darshani Kumaragamage, a professor in the department of environmental studies and sciences.

Ducks Unlimited Canada will use $150,636 to protect and restore wetlands, and to help train livestock producers on farming practices that protect water quality, chief development and sustainability officer Nicole Chammartin said.

“Through this initiative, we’ll help conserve and restore over 120 hectares, which is, they tell me, the equivalent to 2,225 CFL football fields of wetland habitat in southwest Manitoba,” she said.

“Wetlands really are nature’s kidneys… and the more that we invest in them, the more that our lakes will stay healthy.”

The remaining dollars will be split between an assortment of other groups and organizations also focused on keeping the lake healthy.

Provincial Environment Minister Mike Moyes said Lake Winnipeg is a source of fisheries, tourism and recreation, and “central to the livelihood of so many Manitobans.”

“These efforts are going to protect the lake, strengthen our environment and bring economic benefits to communities across our great province.”

The Canada Water Agency has committed to distributing a total of $120 million over 10 years to protect Lake Winnipeg and its watershed, Duguid said.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca