DIVIDED OVER WATER: Outlet channels spark controversy

DIVIDED OVER WATER: Outlet channels spark controversy

Farmers on the south end of Lake Manitoba support the proposed channels to save their land from flooding, but the projects will slice through the farms of dozens of north-shore farmers who worry they won’t be adequately compensated

A recent $540-million funding pledge is pushing forward the Lake Manitoba and Lake St. Martin outlet channels and reaction from farmers depends on where they are along the shoreline. For those whose anxieties rise with the water levels every time the Assiniboine River floods, the new momentum is welcome news. Farmers along Lake Manitoba’s south

One grain on eroded land

No such thing as ‘unprecedented’ weather, delegates at ARBI conference told

Delegates with the Assiniboine River Basin Initiative (ARBI) met in Regina February 14 and 15

If 1930s seems like the worst drought we could ever have, scientific records show pre-settlement dry spells lasted far longer. Likewise, there were wet spells on the Prairies much more intense than events like 2011’s — a flood we tended to call “unprecedented.” Neither are unprecedented, say Saskatchewan scientists. Both extremes have occurred before on


Greg Steele, Before Brandon exhibit guest curator, displays a replica paddle styled similarly to what would have been used by voyageurs during the fur trade in the Brandon area.

Before Brandon was the Wheat City

Brandon was established as a city in 1882, but trading outposts along the Assiniboine River predate that mark by decades and are the subject of a museum exhibit at the Brandon General Museum and Archives

In most tellings, Brandon is a city that appeared from nowhere, fuelled by agricultural settlement. In 1881 it was a single shanty, and just 12 months later it was the province’s first western city, the Wheat City. Local history buffs will recount how rail plans were moved 50 kilometres south in the 1870s, in line

Turtle Mountain Conservation District manager Yasmine Wruth takes tour members through a five-year-old bank stabilization project south of Deloraine June 28.

Turtle Mountain Conservation District puts its best foot forward

The Turtle Mountain Conservation District toured the public around some of its recent 
and long-standing projects as part of the biennial event

It was a once-in-two-year chance June 28 as participants lined up for a look behind the scenes of the Turtle Mountain Conservation District during the biennial bus tour. “We just wanted to focus on the Waskada Creek area,” district manager Yasmine Wruth said. “We couldn’t do the entire area, but we focused on the southern

Dave Barnes stands at what will one day be the path separating a prairie garden and edible orchard

Community group looks to merge food production and conservation

The Assiniboine Food Forest Initiative hopes to break ground on two projects this summer, including an edible tree orchard open to the public

For Dave Barnes, chair and founding member of the Assiniboine Food Forest Initiative, it all started with a desire to protect the stands of oak, ash and maple along the banks of the Assiniboine River east of Brandon. “I saw threats to landscape everywhere,” he said. “I saw these ancient oak trees. I know they’re


Strong winds, precipitation in forecast could increase flood risk

Manitoba Flood Bulletin No. 16

Province of Manitoba – Manitoba Infrastructure’s Hydrologic Forecast Centre reports overland flooding and tributary flows continue to subside across parts of southern Manitoba. Flows on the lower Assiniboine River are continuing to rise. Weather forecasts are predicting strong winds for April 13 to 16, as a low-pressure system begins to move from west to east

A washed-out road closes Provincial Road 346 south of Highway 2 April 4.

Waters rise in the west as Red River subsides

Attention turned back to southwestern Manitoba as the Souris and 
Assiniboine rivers were expected to crest simultaneously

Flooding was on the decline in parts of Manitoba late last week, but the Assiniboine River was on the rise. Simultaneous peaks of the Souris and Assiniboine rivers raised concern downstream. Flow into the Portage Reservoir was expected to reach 41,000 to 44,000 cubic feet per second April 12-14. The region between Portage la Prairie

Assiniboine River flows continue to rise, rain forecast could raise flood risk

Manitoba Flood Bulletin No. 15

Province of Manitoba – Manitoba Infrastructure’s Hydrologic Forecast Centre reports overland flooding and tributary flows continue to subside across parts of southern Manitoba. Flows in the Assiniboine River are continuing to rise. Weather forecasts are predicting strong winds for April 13 to 16, as a low-pressure system begins to move from west to east across


Flood warning remains for upper Assiniboine, all major rivers ice-free

Manitoba Flood Bulletin No. 14

Province of Manitoba – Manitoba Infrastructure’s Hydrologic Forecast Centre reports overland flooding and tributary flows are beginning to subside across parts of southern Manitoba. Flows in the Assiniboine River are continuing to rise. Ice is still in place on northern rivers and tributaries. A high water advisory is in place for the Carrot River near

Assiniboine River, Souris River to soon peak at Portage Reservoir

Manitoba Flood Bulletin No. 13

Province of Manitoba – Manitoba Infrastructure’s Hydrologic Forecast Centre reports overland flooding and tributary flows are beginning to subside across parts of southern Manitoba. Flows in the Assiniboine River are continuing to rise. Ice is still in place on northern rivers and tributaries. A high water advisory is in place for the Carrot River near