$73 million in funding for projects to improve water quality in Manitoba waterway

The feds have announced a hefty $650 million freshwater action plan, with a portion set to flow to Manitoba and northwestern Ontario waterways.

Manitoba MP Terry Duguid, who also serves as special advisor for water, made the announcement Monday at the Manitoba Museum on behalf of Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault.

The ten-year project is aimed at protecting and restoring water quality and ecosystem health in five major watersheds across Canada.

Among them – Lake Winnipeg and Lake of the Woods.

“Over the next ten years, we will see about $73 million across these two water bodies,” Duguid said at the news conference Monday.

MP Terry Duguid is pictured at a Jan. 22, 2024 funding announcement at the Manitoba Museum. (Source: Ken Gabel/CTV News Winnipeg)

The money was earmarked in the federal government’s 2023 budget.

Funds will be used by partner-led projects and initiatives to identify, measure and monitor water quality issues that, unlike algae blooms, are not immediately apparent.

Groups, organizations and governments are invited to apply for funding under the five freshwater ecosystem initiatives.

“We’ve been experiencing impacts from agriculture, urbanization, and industry on freshwater quality and aquatic system health across the country, and we’re seeing invasive species in a changing climate aggravate an already challenging situation,” Duguid said.

“It’s not just happening in Lake Winnipeg. It’s happening across the country.”

The EcoAction Community Funding Program, which supports freshwater projects across the country, is also currently accepting applications for projects that will have a positive and measurable impact on freshwater quality.

More details on how to apply for both funding streams can be found on the federal government’s website.