Liberals re-announce Lake Winnipeg cash, but shy away from biggest project on books

Improving the health of Lake Winnipeg

5 years ago

Duration 1:39

The City of Winnipeg faces a multibillion-dollar price tag to do its part to help Lake Winnipeg's ecology.Ottawa has re-announced a portion of itstwo-year-old commitment to help Lake Winnipeg but shied away from committing more money to the biggest and most expensive planned project to reducethe flow of phosphorus into the world's 11th-largest lake.

In 2017, the Liberal government promised to spend $25.7 million on projects aimed at fighting the overfertilization of Lake Winnipeg, where the ecology is threatened by nutrients that promote the growth of algae.

Winnipeg South MP TerryDuguidstood at The Forks on Friday and unveiled a list of 19 research projects that will use up $2.2 million of this cash. For example, the Prairie Spirit School Division will receiveagrant to help students take part in water-quality monitoring and the Village of Dunnotar is studying how to use duckweed to soak up nutrients.

"These effortsare part of a broader government effort to advance work on freshwater management in Canada," Duguid said.

He declined to commit tonew federal money for the City of Winnipeg's ongoing wastewater upgrades, which involve$1.8 billion worth of improvements to the city's three sewage treatment plants and as much as$2 billion more to replace combined sewers that allow diluted raw sewage to flow into city waterways during heavy rainstorms.

• 5-year fight removes less than 1% of phosphorus from Lake Winnipeg basin
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In 2003, the province ordered the city make these upgrades in order to reduce the city's share of Lake Winnipeg nutrient loading from about six per cent to about four per cent.

At the time, Duguid was the chair of the Clean Environment Commission, which recommended all three levels of government share the cost on an equal basis.

"We gave direction to all of them to put their shoulder to the wheel to reduce pollution going into Lake Winnipeg," Duguid said on Friday.

"I suggested all three levels of government partner on financing on that important development, and I still hold that view today."

Together, theprovince and Ottawa have paid for about 18 per cent of a single project, the $336-million South End Water Pollution Control Centre upgrade. The province spent$17 million on that project, which is nearing completion, while Ottawa contributed$42 million.

Duguid said Friday that cities and provinces need to identify their priorities to Ottawa and he'd like to see all three all three levels of government put money into the North End Water Pollution Control Centre upgrades, which will cost $1.4 billion.

Mayor Brian Bowman said the city is working on a formal request for more sewage-upgrade money for part of the North End sewage-plant work. Council may approve a request in September, he said.