The past two years has seen areas of Manitoba swing between extreme drought and flooding.

Provincial water strategy released

Managing water resources in a variable climate among priorities

The province has released its first comprehensive water strategy in nearly 20 years. “Our growing communities, vibrant agriculture sector and expanding industries all depend on continued access to water,” said Premier Heather Stefanson in a Nov. 8 news release. “At the same time, climate change and extreme weather, such as floods and droughts, have a

Overland flooding east of Roseisle around the junction of PR 245 and PR 240 on April 30, 2022.

Province says closed means closed

Bill 46 would make closed roads legally enforceable by police

Anyone driving on a closed road in Manitoba may soon be courting a ticket. Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Doyle Piwniuk says Bill 46, which would amend the Highway Traffic Act, will bring Manitoba in line with British Columbia, Ontario and Saskatchewan. Drivers can already be prosecuted for driving on a closed road in those


Fodder dries up for Pakistan’s cattle as floodwaters stay high

Reuters – Farmers stranded by floods that have submerged huge swathes of Pakistan are running low on feed for their cattle, officials said Sept. 13, and airdropping supplies is a difficult task. The floods caused by record monsoon rains and glacial melt in northern mountains have affected 33 million people and killed almost 1,400, sweeping

manitoba flood 2022 rapid city

The high-tech future of flood fighting

WATER | More and more technology is coming into play when planning management projects

It’s another year in which flooding is on Manitoba’s mind. In May, communities along the Red River suddenly became islands after almost a month of weekly Colorado lows. Major highways were closed for weeks. Municipal roads were washed out. Residents were filling and placing sandbags. In mid-June, producers in Manitoba’s Interlake faced flash flooding after


A field near the Abas family farm had been seeded to oats hours before it flooded.

Flash flooding hits Fisher Branch farms

Floods, seeding deadlines bring an end to seeding in many fields

[UPDATED: June 27, 2022] Farmers near Fisher Branch found fields and roads under water after the area got more than seven inches of rain on Tuesday, June 21. “It’s definitely what you’d call a flash flood,” said Jamal Abas, whose family farms north of Fisher Branch at Hodgson. Environment Canada data shows 187 mm (over

“If you don’t have a program that addresses the events specifically, then it can sometimes be a blunt tool to address it.” – Tyler Fulton.

BRM programs a poor fit for challenged livestock sector

With so much extreme weather, is it time to change the approach to the livestock sector’s safety net

This time, it was April when disaster struck. Calves were dropping across the province. Livestock operations, bitten hard by the 2021 drought, were urgently waiting for pastures to green. Nobody needed a half-metre of snow, enough precipitation to send parts of the province under water and extended power outages. In the aftermath, producers began to


Overland flooding east of Roseisle around the junction of PR 245 and PR 240 on April 30, 2022.

Crop switch-out and seeding delays as late spring drags on

Only four per cent of acres were planted as of May 17

Manitoba’s crop experts have some blanket advice for producers fighting an increasingly late spring: seed heavy, seed shallow, and go as soon as you can. “Delayed” has been an understatement when it comes to field conditions in Manitoba — the legacy of three Colorado lows in three weeks and continued rain and cold. Only four

Editor’s Take: Getting weather whiplash

If you’re feeling weather weary these days you’re not alone. Most of the province probably shares your feelings. It was only eight or nine months ago that we were worried the rain would never come again. Then came the winter that wouldn’t go away, where it only warmed up long enough to snow, only to


floodwaters in Manitoba

Walking the weather tightrope

With weather volatility on an upwards trend, what’s the future of water management in Manitoba?

Greg Archibald and the staff of the Pembina Valley Water Co-op spent the first days of May steeling themselves for a really bad week. The co-op, which supplies potable water to about 50,000 people in south-central Manitoba, was watching its three water treatment plants with a hawk’s gaze, after a string of April storms swelled

Aerial view of flooded farmland near Rosenort, Man., about 50 km south of Winnipeg, on May 6, 2022.

No crop insurance seeding deadline extensions planned: MASC

Manitoba's wet, cold spring is keeping farmers out of the fields, but they have until June 20 to seed cereals and flax and still be eligible for coverage. Insured farmers unable to plant are eligible for Excess Moisture Insurance payouts

[UPDATED: May 20, 2022] The last time there were extended seeding deadlines for crop insurance in Manitoba, it was 2004. Despite wet weather delaying planting this year, 2022 is unlikely to see a repeat. “We’re not contemplating, at this point, any changes to our seeding deadlines,” said David Van Deynze, Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation’s (MASC)