Push begins to revive Assiniboine basin group

Some municipal officials in the Assiniboine River Basin are starting a push to restore provincial funding for an organization that would help prevent flooding and improve watersheds.

The Rural Municipality of Sifton, the City of Brandon and about a dozen other municipalities are hoping to see the Assiniboine River Basin Initiative revived as early as next year.

The NDP cut funding for the group after being elected in 2023, leading to the disbandment of the transboundary initiative, which had representatives from Manitoba, Saskatchewan and North Dakota.

The initiative was created following the devastating 2011 and 2014 floods and brought together as many as 51 organizations, including municipalities and watershed groups, from the three jurisdictions.

“We need to have more communication with the grassroots delegates,” Sifton Coun. Scott Phillips said Thursday.

“As long as the people are talking, we can work together, so at least we know what’s coming,” he said.

According to local officials, Saskatchewan and North Dakota stopped funding the initiative after Manitoba backed out.

Sifton is sponsoring a resolution to the Association of Manitoba Municipalities, which if passed at both the regional and fall meetings, would see the AMM lobby the province to reinstate funding for 2027.

The province had contributed $50,000 to the initiative in the final year before it was cut, according to a report from the City of Brandon.

The basin covers about 420,000 square kilometres where about 1.5 million people live.

Phillips (Ward 2) said the initiative helped build relationships across borders and get officials in Saskatchewan, for example, to understand issues in Manitoba.

Due to changes in culvert size and other factors, water that used to take weeks to flow from Saskatchewan to Manitoba can now take days or even hours, Phillips said. Having more regular planned conversations with officials can impact decision making or warn people downstream that changes could be coming based on decisions made elsewhere.

Changes, like a joint dam project, could also be discussed at the group’s meetings, he said.

The resolution, in part, says the board “can focus on replanting of trees and natural habitats,” along with other needs, including water retention, agricultural and industrial needs, aquatic life, recreation and sustainability.

The Assiniboine River Basin stretches from west of Regina in Saskatchewan along the Qu’Appelle River and further south than Minot, N.D., along the Souris River, collecting from smaller rivers and creeks along the way. Eastward, the basin reaches to the Red River in Winnipeg.

Phillips said drainage laws in Saskatchewan are looser than in Manitoba, which hurts municipalities downstream.

“We need to work together on improving laws and regulations.”

Brandon Coun. Barry Cullen, who sat on the group’s board before it was disbanded following a meeting in 2024, said the initiative and relationships that come with it are “more important now than it ever was.”

Cullen (Ward 3) cited faster moving water, along with higher levels of uncertainty from the U.S. government, as reasons for its importance.

Conflict between governments over water is becoming a more likely problem than before, he added.

“I think the most important thing about the organization was (that) you have a relationship with cross-border people,” Cullen said.

He said it’s a lot easier to bring problems or concerns to officials in other jurisdictions when you’ve already been building a rapport with them.

Meanwhile, the initiative struggled to create concrete results and had some difficulty meeting its mandate, Cullen said, adding that a restored board now would be more vital.

Cullen said it would “be very difficult to re-establish” the initiative now, as buy-in from Saskatchewan, North Dakota and smaller organizations would also need to happen. He noted, however, that it might be easier than when the group was first set up, as the framework would still be in place.

Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett on Tuesday said he was “disappointed” when the funding stopped, as relationships with Saskatchewan and North Dakota had strengthened.

“We all have our own concerns about that, so it’s best to look at those things together,” Fawcett said.

“In the grand scheme of provincial budgets, that’s not a great big amount, and I think that that relationship is healthy to have.”

He said any relationship Canadian jurisdictions can have with their southern neighbour is a positive one right now.

Having the politicians all in a room together can help keep each other accountable, Fawcett said, and make sure neighbours are considering each other’s interests.

Premier Wab Kinew said the province will always be there to see what resolutions are brought forward through the AMM and will continue to work with everyone to combat flooding.

“We actually provide a lot of resources to the Westman region and work closely with municipalities to ensure that we’re there to respond if we do see flooding,” Kinew said Thursday at an unrelated press conference when asked about reinstating the board and how municipalities are expected to deal with flooding.

Kinew said the province has had good discussions with Peguis First Nation and Fisher River Cree Nation in the Interlake regarding permanent flood protection, and will hopefully start work on that this year.

Last week, regarding flooding in parts of the Parkland, Kinew said the province will work with municipalities and other provinces about longstanding issues related to floodwaters coming from Saskatchewan.

The resolution, which Phillips said about 12 to 16 municipalities are co-sponsoring, will be debated and voted on at the regional meeting on June 16. If approved, it would then go to the fall convention, where it would be voted on again.

In general, a majority of resolutions are passed through both meetings, an AMM official said.

» alambert@brandonsun.com