Canada invests in Lake Winnipeg Basin restoration and protection

From: Environment and Climate Change Canada

News release

January 17, 2023 – Winnipeg, Manitoba

Healthier lakes mean economic growth, more recreational opportunities, and a healthy, sustainable ecosystem that protects biodiversity. Canadians understand the value of fresh water and want to be actively engaged to help protect and manage this vital resource.

Today, Terry Duguid, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, on behalf of the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, announced $1.59 million to support 25 projects under the Lake Winnipeg Basin Program.

Working with partners and stakeholders, the Lake Winnipeg Basin Program supports science, action, and collaboration to improve water quality and the ecological health of Lake Winnipeg. The program funds projects focused on three priority areas including nutrient reduction, enhancing collaboration between partners and stakeholders throughout the basin, and engaging Indigenous peoples in freshwater stewardship.

Through this program, InnoVantage Inc. will receive $50,000 to evaluate the performance of an innovative phosphorus removal and recovery system for small wastewater systems. The Southern Chiefs’ Organization Inc. will receive $50,000 to enhance the capacity of First Nations to monitor and assess water sources, enable the collection and use of Indigenous knowledge, and inform community decision-making to protect fresh water.

Quotes

“Canada is committed to working collaboratively with our partners for the protection and restoration of Lake Winnipeg. Investing in these local projects will help tackle issues that matter to communities in the Lake Winnipeg watershed—from accessible clean, fresh water, to beaches we can enjoy, to waters in which we can fish and swim.”

– Terry Duguid, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change

Quick facts

Lake Winnipeg is Canada’s sixth-largest lake and the eleventh-largest freshwater lake in the world. Its watershed is the second-largest in Canada and includes parts of four provinces and four US states.
The Lake Winnipeg drainage basin is nearly one million square kilometres in size and is home to nearly seven million people.
The Lake Winnipeg Basin Program has invested over $10 million in grants and contribution funding to support partner-driven, nutrient-reducing actions, collaborative efforts, and Indigenous engagement to improve the ecological health of Lake Winnipeg.