Kristen Villebrun and Wendy Bush hoped they wouldn't have to pray for Chedoke Creek, but four years after they first raised alarm about the water's condition, they were part of an Indigenous full moon ceremony to do just that. About 50 people showed up near Princess Point on the dark and frigid Monday evening for the monthly ceremony, which was particularly special as it focused on Chedoke Creek. The body of water that runs into Cootes Paradise had about 24 billion litres of sewage and storm water runoff leak into it due to a gate being left open.
Farmers can’t predict the future, but a new tool may help them get ahead of droughts and floods. The Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association partnered with Aquanty, a Waterloo, Ont.-based water resources firm, to develop a forecasting tool for the Assiniboine River basin and Pembina Valley and Plum River watersheds of the Red River basin.
From current drought and dry field conditions to flooding in recent years, extreme weather events continue to create challenges for Manitoba farmers. The Government of Canada is working with the agricultural sector to equip farmers with tools they need to proactively manage and mitigate risks associated with these events. Today, on behalf of the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change (Canada Water Agency) and to the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages (Western Economic Diversification Canada) and Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South, Terry Duguid, announced an investment of over $1.1 million for the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association (MFGA). The funding will be used to develop a new forecasting tool that will help farmers and stakeholders better understand and manage extreme weather events within the Assiniboine River Basin.
