Dithering has costs and consequences

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/02/2025 (204 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s only February, but more than 422,000 litres of raw sewage have already leaked from Winnipeg’s sewage system into the Red River so far this year as a result of five separate incidents that occurred at five different locations over the past two months.

The most recent leak happened on Sunday, when tens of thousands of litres of raw sewage flowed from Winnipeg’s Glenelm neighbourhood into the Red River. The leak was the result of two fire hydrants having been opened, with the water from those hydrants draining into a combined sewer outfall.

This is far from an unusual situation. In fact, sewage leaks occur with such frequency in Manitoba’s capital city that the City of Winnipeg has a web page dedicated to reporting leaks.

While the leaks most directly impact communities downstream of Winnipeg, as well as the ecology of the Red River and Lake Winnipeg, they also create serious financial consequences for the City of Winnipeg.

Earlier this month, the city was charged under provincial environment laws due to a massive spill that dumped 228 million litres of raw sewage into the Red River in February of last year.

If convicted, the city could be hit with a maximum fine of $500,000 for a first offence, and up to $1 million for each one after that. A judge could also suspend or revoke the city’s environmental licence if it is found to be unwilling or unable to remedy the situation.

This isn’t Winnipeg’s first offence and, based on the number of leaks that have occurred both prior to and subsequent to last year’s event, it is arguable that the city is either unable to fix the problem or is unwilling to do so.

The city faced federal charges in 2002 after a leak dumped 427 million litres of untreated sewage into the river, but those charges were later stayed. The city was also charged for a 2011 spill that released partly treated sewage into the river. Some of those charges were later stayed, but the city wound up paying $10,000 in court costs.

Beyond prosecutions and potential fines, the city is also facing civil litigation over damages allegedly caused by the leaks. In May of last year, eight Manitoba First Nations — Berens River, Brokenhead, Black River, Poplar River, Hollow Water, Kinonjeoshtegon, Misipawistik and Sagkeeng — filed a lawsuit against the city, the Manitoba government and the government of Canada, seeking a total of $4.8 billion in compensation for the city having dumped raw sewage into the Red River for decades.

The lawsuit accuses the city, as well as the provincial and federal governments, of failing to maintain the wastewater management system, “implement or enforce adequate regulatory mechanisms,” warn the First Nations about the spill or fix the leaks. It further alleges that the leaks “have caused physical, psychological, social and cultural harms” to the members of the plaintiff First Nations.

Given the long history of leaks and the fact that they continue to occur, there is a realistic possibility that additional lawsuits will be filed by other downstream First Nations and communities, as well as private property owners affected by the pollution caused by the leaks.

All of those leaks, those charges and lawsuits create significant potential liability for the City of Winnipeg. Given that reality, it is surprising that the city is not doing more — neither investing more, nor moving more quickly — to fix its outdated, leaky sewage system.

Over the past several years, there have been multiple announcements of federal and provincial funding for upgrades, and yet the problem persists and the price tag continues to grow. The proposed upgrade of the North End sewage treatment plant — a major component of Winnipeg’s sewage system — is expected to cost at least $2.38 billion, but city staff recently warned the price could rise to nearly $3 billion. Ominously, city officials have also warned that part of Winnipeg’s existing sewage treatment system could run out of capacity within four to six years if the North End project does not proceed to completion.

This is what happens when cities fail to address challenges as they arise; when a costly problem is kicked down the road for future city councils to address. We have seen it happen here in Brandon, with delayed infrastructure projects costing far more than originally projected and taxpayers being forced to pick up the tab through higher taxes and water rates.

That is a costly consequence of dithering, but delaying critical projects only makes the pain worse for taxpayers in future years. That’s the painful lesson we’re learning, and paying for, here in Brandon. It’s a lesson Winnipeggers cannot afford to continue avoiding.