New regulations aimed at preventing well contamination

Wells will need to be protected from flooding as province looks to update half-century-old well water regulations

The provincial government is overhauling Manitoba’s groundwater regulations to better protect aquifers and groundwater. Conservation and Water Stewardship Minister Gord Mackintosh made the announcement last week, the first major review of the legislation in 50 years. “I think Manitobans sometimes don’t recognize that there are well over a quarter-million people in the province who rely

More transparency in local governance

The provincial government has proposed some rule changes it says will strengthen accountability and transparency in local government decision-making. The proposed legislation follows discussions the province has held with the Office of the Auditor General, said Minister for Local Government Ron Lemieux. Bill 23 proposes a series of amendments that, among other things, would require



Scholarship for sheep producers

Students who are active in the Manitoba sheep industry are now eligible for a $500 scholarship offered by the Manitoba Sheep Association. Applicants must be involved with sheep and either be a member of the MSA or related to a member in order to be eligible. Applicants must provide proof of enrolment in a recognized


COMMUNITY PASTURES: Business as usual this summer

The province is still mulling options as 
federal government plans to phase out its role in community pasture management

It will be business as usual this summer, despite the recent announcement by the federal government that it is getting out of the community pasture business. “Hopefully, by this fall, as people are taking their cattle out of pastures, it’ll be clear what to expect for next year,” said Robert Fleming, director of policy and

Lake Manitoba ranchers fear another year of losses

  The flood waters have receded, but residents along the shore of Lake Manitoba are still dealing with the damage they caused. Flooded fields, clogged drains, downed fences, and cattail-filled pastures where now only seagulls graze are common sights. Langruth-area farmer Jonas Johnson and his wife Lydia live in a 94-year-old house about half a



Surface water management strategy a sustainable development imperative

It sure would be great to have access to the agricultural nutrients carried away 
by flood waters, as fertilizer prices continue to climb

What a difference a year makes. Last year at this time all of southern Manitoba was in various stages of panic as forecasts revealed just how bad the 2011 flood might be. Ultimately our traditional flooding hot spot, the Red River Valley was mostly spared with a combination of manageable flows and decades of preparation.


Flax plant’s future up in the air

The flames that consumed the Glanbia flax-processing plant south of Angusville were doused last week, but a smouldering sense of uncertainty lingers. The plant formerly owned by Glen and Linda Pizzey was the largest employer in the RM of Silver Creek, providing not only 58 good-paying, full-time jobs, but also a large chunk of the

OPAM trims costs to be more competitive

Streamlined operations and paperwork put Manitoba’s only homegrown 
organic certifying body back on the road to financial health

Manitoba’s own organic certification body is well on its way back to financial health. The Organic Producers of Manitoba, founded in 2005, was hit by a cash crunch as organic’s boom years ground to a halt, said president Edward Lelond. “We were anticipating growth before it happened, and then we hit the recession of 2008,”