The Manitoba government has selected 12 projects in the Winnipeg Metropolitan Region (WMR) to receive provincial financial support through a fund for disaster prevention and climate resilience improvements.
“We want to help municipalities with immediate projects that prevent damage from a future disaster year after year, rather than simply help them recover from any single incident,” said Municipal Relations Minister Rochelle Squires. “Municipal leaders in the Winnipeg Metropolitan Region have made a number of strong proposals for strengthening climate resilience on a regional basis and the Manitoba government is pleased to provide funds to help these projects come to life.”
Under the program, the 12 projects will receive a total of $15 million to build up local infrastructure that will better prepare municipalities to withstand the impacts of natural disasters and extreme weather events.
“We are pleased to be part of this innovative and important process that identifies and supports investments that work together to provide maximum regional benefit,” said Colleen Sklar, executive director of WMR. “Collaboration makes us stronger and more resilient to extreme events, and allows our region to adapt, to bend so we do not break.”
One of the larger projects to receive support through the fund is a $4.6-million stabilization of the Red River’s bank along Winnipeg’s Lyndale Drive, which plays an important role in the city’s diking system.
Other approved projects in the WMR include the following: improvements to drainage, emergency backup power generation for essential utilities, separation of a storm sewer system, a water security upgrade to ensure adequate water supplies during periods of drought, and improvements to a regional emergency reporting system.
The $15-million commitment is part of the province’s one-time capital investment in damage prevention and climate resiliency measures announced in November 2019.
Featured image from Government of Manitoba.
To watch a video about the announcement, click here:
