Province to consult First Nations on new waterways

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This article was published 09/08/2017 (3038 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba will be embarking on one of the “most comprehensive, thorough and robust” constitutional consultations in the history of the province before construction begins on two massive outlet channels for Lake Manitoba and Lake St. Martin, Premier Brian Pallister vows.

Pallister and his infrastructure minister, Blaine Pedersen, made the commitment to First Nations communities on Wednesday, even promising financial help to assist Indigenous groups to participate meaningfully in the process.

“Our government recognizes that the best path forward for these projects is by ensuring that Manitoba undertakes comprehensive engagement, collaboration and consultation with First Nations communities that may be impacted by these projects,” the premier said. “We’re focused as a government on the job of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples in Manitoba, and we are focused on achieving reconciliation not just by talking about it but by delivering real action to protect Aboriginal and treaty rights.”

The province has long promised to build an outlet channel to reduce flooding around Lake Manitoba in years when the Portage Diversion is used to protect landowners along the lower Assiniboine River and the city of Winnipeg.

It has also promised to transform a temporary outlet channel constructed on an emergency basis in late 2011 to drain Lake St. Martin into a larger permanent structure with proper control structures.

Construction on both projects is scheduled to begin in 2019 following provincial and federal environmental approval and required consultations with First Nations. The combined cost of the channels is estimated at around $500 million.

Pallister said Pedersen has already visited all potentially affected Interlake communities to lay the groundwork for the formal consultation process.

Grand Chief Arlen Dumas of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs could not be reached for comment Wednesday. There were no Indigenous leaders at the government’s news conference.

The province says it expects that First Nations will share in some of the economic benefits from the construction projects, which, combined, will be the largest flood protection initiative since the expansion of the Red River Floodway.

Pedersen said economic opportunities for Indigenous communities could include construction contracts for project access roads.

The Lake Manitoba outlet channel will be 23 kilometres in length and carry up to 7,500 cubic feet of water per second. The revamped Lake St. Martin channel will be about the same length; its capacity will almost triple to 11,500 cfs from the current 4,000 cfs.

Pedersen said the province has already issued tenders to select an engineering firm to design the two flood outlet channels.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca