Lake Winnipeg seems ‘forgotten’

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/10/2015 (3885 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Liberal candidates touted their planned $20-billion infrastructure fund for sewage treatment. The Greens pledged to protect wetlands by expanding conservation programs that work. The NDP said it would give research a boost in part by creating a scientific adviser to the prime minister. The Conservatives promised nothing.

A short questionnaire about Lake Winnipeg’s health produced mostly vague policy pronouncements from the handful of candidates who replied, adding to the sense the health of Canada’s second-largest watershed has largely fallen off the radar.

No local Conservative candidates or the party’s national campaign staff replied to the survey.

“It’s a missed opportunity,” said Alexis Knispel Kanu, executive director of the Lake Winnipeg Foundation, which canvassed the candidates. “I think candidates are missing the boat if they think fresh water doesn’t matter to Canadians.”

The foundation asked all local candidates for their positions on water infrastructure funding, wetlands protection, research spending and support for the foundation’s Lake Winnipeg Health Plan.

So far, the foundation has received replies from 17 candidates, mostly local Greens and Liberals. Staff at NDP, Liberal and Green party headquarters in Ottawa offered responses.

Knispel Kanu said Canada is a country defined by lakes, and fresh water is integral to economic growth, cultural identity and health. But she said Lake Winnipeg hasn’t received much attention this campaign.

“It’s a glaring omission,” said Knispel Kanu of the general shortage of Lake Winnipeg pledges.

“It is the forgotten lake,” she said.

In the 2006 election, then-Liberal prime minister Paul Martin pledged $120 million over 10 years to help Lake Winnipeg, but he was defeated. No similar promises have materialized this election.

Knispel Kanu said she was looking for a clear plan to address freshwater issues and a local candidate willing to act as a champion for Lake Winnipeg on the national stage. And, she said she was hoping for timelines and targets.

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

Head Start

Weekday Mornings

A quick glance at the news for the upcoming day.

Sign up for Head Start

Sign Up

I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

The Manitoba government is aiming for a 50 per cent reduction in phosphorous levels to combat algae blooms that threaten the lake. Premier Greg Selinger, whose government is waging a losing battle against zebra mussels that have begun to infest Lake Winnipeg, called for a national water quality strategy.

“This is a massive potential risk for the future,” he said.

A national plan could deal with nutrification, invasive species such as zebra mussels, wetlands conservation and trans-boundary issues. It could set quality standards, reform the navigable waters act and free up research money.

In response to the foundation’s survey, many candidates cut-and-pasted information from their platform or from their party’s prepared statement.

maryagnes.welch@freepress.mb.ca