Southwest Manitoba Flood Meeting
Thursday, August 7/14 @ Deloraine-Winchester Community Hall
In attendance: MLAs Drew Caldwell, Doyle Piwniuk, Reg Helwer; Assistant Deputy Minister for Water
Stewardship and Conservation Bruce Gray; Constituency Assistant for Brandon East Kevin Bertram;
Water Stewardship field officers Darren Nichol & Tim Speers; municipal reps for Morton, Deloraine,
Winchester, Brenda, Albert.
On behalf of the R.M. of Winchester, Reeve Gord Weidenhamer welcomed everyone to the meeting.
Drew thanked the people present and asked that speakers give him a copy of their presentations, as he
will be taking this information, giving a broad perspective of what is happening in this region, to the
Minister. He said that Doyle, Bruce and he flew over this flooded area on July 10th. Whitewater Lake
has been a major concern for a great number of years; he understand the huge impact that is felt
throughout the region when the lake floods. Drew asked that everyone sign for attendance form for
future communication purposes.
Doyle said that flooding in the southwest corner of the province is one of the biggest issues in his whole
riding. In April he toured the Whitewater region with Pete Penner; on the May long weekend, he toured
the area with Bob McCallum; on July 10th he did the helicopter tour with Drew & Doyle. He felt that the
big hit of water flooding into Whitewater from the Turtle Mountain was a big eye-opener.
ADM Bruce Gray, assistant minister to Gord MacIntosh said that there were two options to lowering the
level of Whitewater that have been considered for decades.
R. M. of Winchester
Gord reviewed problems faced by the R. M. using a power-point presentation prepared by CAO Pam.
- run-off – people like to have everything straight and streamlined, including for economic farming
purposes, especially with regard to assessments; nature caused creeks to develop in a winding pattern;
- the speed of run-off waters destroys road infrastructures;
- Whitewater Lake has grown substantially; it is an IBA (International Birding Area) but during floods, the
migrating birds have to nest on private land; thousands of dollars were spent to protect habitat that has
been destroyed; loss of income from hunters;
- infrastructure for drainage is not adequate; our gravel roads are the structures we rely upon to retain
water in the mountain;
- procedures to shut down illegal drainage have been delayed/hampered at the Dept of Justice level;
- at the north side of our golf course, there is an abandoned CPR trestle which holds back a considerable
amount of water; this trestle is located on private land. An attempt to fund a removal project was made
in 2005/6 but the landowner did not agree to have this work done
- many studies have been done at high costs; one notable study was done in 2009 by the TMCD
- some buyouts have happened;
- water heading into Medora Creek from Whitewater flower out in two six-foot culverts where water is
flowing 5’ high. In the past few weeks, the water has come down a bit, but one more rain event would
cause the level to be very high again;
- Indian bridge was washed out 3X in the past 5 years; 8X in the past 30 years
- province seems ready to spend money at times of emergencies but we’d like to prevent these kinds of
events;
- retention projects seem to be a preferred solution but there are no government dollars
- our municipal neighbours do not want additional water, especially at peak times
- Water Stewardship enforcement – court proceedings are inadequate; the system doesn’t seem to
understand drainage issues; fines are not enough
- DFA program – great, but multi-year sites need a permanent solution; there is now some funding for
permanent structures to protect yard sites
- need moratorium for drainage into Whitewater Lake, with water release at a controlled time
- Medora Creek is still experiencing double the flow because of the lake level
- Deloraine Reservoir – after the July downpour, the Reeve had to contact downstream people to warn
them that the trestle might let go. MIT engineers are supposed to provide assistance in determining
how this structure should be fixed/removed;
- the Conservation Districts need to receive funding so that major regional projects that be undertaken.
Town of Deloraine
CAO Debbie Adams provided a power-point presentation. She said that 2014 provided a different
flooding experience for the town because of the level of Whitewater Lake water backing up. The town
council is now considering raising the East Road to keep lake water out of Deloraine. West Medora
Creek flows right through the town. Deloraine, along with the government, hired KGS to try and find a
solution, perhaps straighten out the creek. After many studies, few government dollars, the same
situation happens with each flood. Most of the problems occur along Highway 21 where work has to be
done under the tracks and the highway. In the 2005 flood, Renton Street was flooded; in 2014 water
tankers (eg. from Red Hand in Boissevain) were brought in so most basements were kept dry. Pumps
are the town’s only solution right now. The town had a boil-water advisory for over a month. There
have been numerous studies, but nothing has changed in spite of years and dollars spent. The town
hopes to work closely with the R.M. and with higher levels of government in hopes of rectifying some of
the flood problems.
R.M. of Morton
Reeve Bob McCallum reviewed a series of pictures showing the impact of the flood on their farmland,
including fly-over pictures from 2009, 2011 and 2014. He said that they would like to see a level put on
the lake. A key municipal road was dyked in 2011 to protect farms such as Pete Penner’s. 2 ½ sections
have been underwater between 2011 & 2014. About $2 million were spent in the 1970s on the Ducks
Unlimited dyking system.
-an oil well that was dyked has since been tapped off to prevent contamination
- the road to the bird-viewing area is still in jeopardy as the water has backwashed under the road. Ed
Dyck is still facing big issues on his farm where his bison are running out of pasture land, but bison need
proper fencing so it is not just a problem of moving his animals
- an estimated 5500 to 5700 acres are now flooded, over and above what happened in 2011, excluding
960 acres that belong to the Manitoba Wildlife Habitat and Ducks Unlimited.
- the excessive rain of early June, 2014 caused creeks from the Turtle Mountain to flow at full capacity,
draining into the lake
- cat-tails have taken over some farmland; livestock have had to be moved
- owning un-farmable lands cause an unjust tax burden
- Whitewater Lake acts as a giant retention pond; a controlled release (at an agreed upon level) using
both Elgin and Medora Creeks would be preferrable
- Bob referred to the 2011 bus tour with Steve Topping where Darryl Jackson said that Souris didn’t need
any more water at that critical time. Darryl said he agreed with Bob that water from Whitewater Lake
needs to be released in a timely manner.
R. M. of Brenda
Reeve Dunc Stewart reported that his R.M. escaped the last rains with little damage over much of the
RM, but damage was caused by the Waskada and Medora Creeks which flooded the banks. One road
was washed out.
- all levels of government have been doing very little to mitigate the damage from flooding;
- one definition of insanity is doing same thing over and over, hoping for a different result
- in the early 2000s, the RM hired a consultant from Alberta, but the RM was not able to follow up on his
recommendations as the farmers didn’t want to cooperate, plus there was very little money
- the backflood project on Gord’s farm has worked well but Medora Creek presents a whole different
story because of the drainage from Whitewater lake
- we need to examine the feasibility of water retention structures along the ender lines of L6; consultant
Michael Bender has been hired by the R.M.; his recommendation will be to proceed with a highly
expensive project, but if we add up all the past fix-up projects we will see future cost-savings
-oil tankers and pipeline are sucking up our oil, what do we get? If you want something done, do it
yourself. A group needs to sit down and work out a solution. Need retention; stop to drainage.
R.M. of Albert
Councillor Karen Jones said that there was a lack of leadership within our province. Since 2011 the
farmers in that municipality have had one crop. On June 28/29, they experienced another perfect storm
that took out infrastructure such as municipal bridges (two bridges completely lost) & roads (PR 256 &
445 from Tilston to Melita), homes & farmlands. Their area has been called “carnage, war zone” and
“simply unbelievable.”
- oil exploration royalties – moneys are not coming back to the area to repair/improve flooded
infrastructure
- three years of water in ditches; homes and farmyards continually affected
- mortals can’t control nature, but we can control mortals from destroying us
- drainage is the problem; talking is not going to solve the problem
Town of Melita
Deputy Mayor Bill Holden said that Melita is basically at the mercy of the upstream partners, especially
from the west. The 2011 flood came with lots of advance notice re: flood predictions. But in 2014,
there was not time enough to put up dykes before the flood struck, with over-flows on the Jackson,
Graham, North & South Antler and Pipestone Creeks. No reports came from the Coulter Bridge, so town
council had no idea of what to expect for water. Calls were received from Albert & Edward telling the
town that there was a wall of water coming at them.
-1976 the “flood of the century” hit the Melita area
-in 2011, MIT recommended that highway 3 be raised - the Community flood Protection Program, but it
has taken till this spring to get the paperwork completed; KTS was the engineering firm and there were
continuing stalls in the planning phase; $240,000 paid to KTS but more work needed
- municipal officials are frustrated with bureaucracy of the provincial government and MIT in getting
thing done to protect Melita
- this year the water was 2’ over that raised level; aqua dykes were used on machinery road to protect
the businesses (including new businesses that have been constructed); biggest concern is getting the
dykes built up; dykes needed to be moved, new section of dykes put on the south perimeter
- we keep doing these repair jobs over and over
- studies take time and cost money
- speed of water coming from Saskatchewan – used to take a week, now it is hours.
- in 2013, the golf course was wiped out
- according to the Assiniboine Water Commission, the province of Saskatchewan is going to put some
restrictions in place
- Melita has not received all its funding for 2011 and nothing for 2013.
R. M. of Glenwood
Councillor Joe Goodwill made the presentation for his RM as Reeve Rick Plaisier was unable to attend.
Joe is a member of the Southwest Flood Strategy and the Assiniboine River Basin committees.
- in 2011/12/13/14, they experienced floods involving the Assiniboine River;
- need to control water entering area from Saskatchewan;
- Assiniboine River Committee received $50,000 in start-up funding; it is expected that this funding will
come annually; planning meeting yesterday for Assiniboine Basin; workshop will be held in Minot with
Saskatchewan people attending
- D.F.A. support – approved
- time for Action regarding mitigation projects. Enough talk
- during disasters – need to treat equally all parts of the province
- need compensation to those forced to hold water
- Melita had regional flood-fighting equipment in place on a Wednesday, then Portage and Brandon
declared states of emergency, then trucks & equipment were moved to these areas of larger population
- need regional flood-fighting equipment and more efficient flood forecasting
- MLAs need to meet with affected groups
- in 2011 there were ad hoc programs; in 2014 there aren’t these programs in place that handle what
happened to us this year
- RMs need funding up-front when disasters occur
- need less bureaucracy
- we are the stewards of our land
- can’t put in same culvert/same bridge and expect things things to be different
Southwest Flood Strategy Committee
Bob McCallum thanked the MLAs for attending. He said that Joe has done a lot of work on behalf of the
Southwest Flood Strategy group. At a meeting in Melita in 2011, in attendance were 26 RMs, 4 towns
(Deloraine, Melita, Hartney, Souris), reps from Brandon. Bob said we need to meet with Saskatchewan
and North Dakota.
- very little compensation for farmers flooded out
- farmers feed the world, but for three years some of our farmers have had little or no income; will need
to find other sources of income
- “should’ve, could’ve” but didn’t do anything in the past
Town of Souris
Mayor Darryl Jackson thanked the organizers and the MLAs. Darryl is a steering committee member of
the SW MB Flood Committee He said that there were two particular items to zero in on, although he
realized there are many more. (1) drainage doesn’t create more water, the Heavens do; but rain water
moves through the system quicker and with much more force, causing flooding of fields, erosion and
bank instability. Do we want to continue spending millions of dollars? (2) need to re-establish wetlands;
beneficial in maintaining the water table during droughts.
- relentless increase in flooding in the last five years; water entering from Saskatchewan and United
States is impacting this region
- need a large, regional approach: Assiniboine River Commission - Larry Maguire led this initiative;
needs to move as quickly as possible
- we have been studied to death, it is time for action
- nothing will happen if our government doesn’t get together with Saskatchewan and North Dakota and
people at local level
R. M. of Whitewater
Reeve Blair Woods said that his municipality was not as affected by Souris River flooding, but feel the
impact of overland flooding from Whitewater Lake and Elgin Creek;
-
when people recommend an increase in culvert size at one location, they need to change every
subsequent culvert downstream
When you receive drainage applications, how far downstream do you look to see who is
affected – agriculture, oil, service companies, retailers, beekeepers
We won’t know how much erosion has occurred until harvest time
We can’t control the weather but can control Whitewater Lake
Need to quit looking at boundary lines as the drainage system goes beyond municipal/provincial
boundaries
Need to get going and quit talking
Turtle Mountain Conservation District
Chairman Greg Moore focused his presentation on Whitewater Lake. TMCD has recently made two land
purchases and obtained three conservation agreements. TMCD board members discuss Whitewater
lake at each of their meetings. Partnerships with federal and provincial governments are essential.
-
-
Crop insurance – after a couple years under water, farmers get no coverage/compensation
All C.D. provincial funding was cut in last budget; need proper funding to do their work
Conservation districts are in a prime position to deal with flooding issues; their workers know
the land, and if properly funded could manage the area; enforce drainage management
practices; close unlicensed drainage; enforce drainage laws and licenses
Need to restore wetlands
DFA keeps throwing money at the effects; needs to work on the causes of the problems
R. M. of Brenda (2nd presentation)
Jordan Morningstar, councillor for ward one, began his presentation with a focus on public safety for eg.
the continuation of EMT service when roads are out; he discussed economic and environmental issues
(water storage; creating wetlands; negative impacts of floods on the landscape).
AFTERNOON SESSION
Question by Bob McCallum: Bob said he volunteered to act as the contact person to keep in touch with
the government for the 2011 strategy group, but he says it’s frustrating to try to get through to the
Premier’s or Ministers’ offices. He asked Drew why can’tthe group can’t get somebody to respond to
them. The strategy group had some solutions to the 2011 flood problems, but they run into a wall in
their communication attempts. Why?
Drew commented that one of the meeting recorders left the government and some notes went awry.
He mentioned the Assiniboine River Basin Commission, an international group which had its first
meeting August 6. Drew said he hoped that commitments for support to be annual
In moving forward, Drew recommended that all members here today should have a member on the
Southwest Strategy Group (which has 36 members). He said that he realized that Whitewater Lake
water and the run-off from the Turtle Mountain was a bit of a different issue.
Drew asked that the municipal governments prepare three resolutions for government and AMM
1.
Dealing with a regional approach/forum/context – need to provide a regional sanction under
the umbrella of the Southwest Flood Strategy Committee as an umbrella organization
2. Water retention and drainage resolution
3. Permanent flood-protection infrastructure vs crisis infrastructure
He said the Prime Minister understands the need to provide permanent dyking infrastructure, such as
the dyke that saved Brandon. Drew said that this is a friendly seat for Stephen Harper, who is trying to
help the province modify DFA.
The resolutions should be sent to Larry Maguire and Drew – increase credibility when you’re dealing
with different ministers
Gord commented that there were people running for election in our RM based on water issues. They
want action right now. “Whisky is for drinking and water is for fighting over.”
Karen asked how receptive the province of Saskatchewan appeared to be when they met. Drew replied
that at the previous day’s meeting, Saskatchewan gave provincial financial support.
ADM Bruce Gray said that Saskatchewan and North Dakota are partners around the Assiniboine Basin
Initiative and want to discuss issues. Saskatchewan has a water security agency which has not yet been
put into effect; meanwhile some farmers are doing drainage before the new issues come in place. The
International Commission will help to make change on Saskatchewan’s side of the border consistent
with what’s been done here. He said that the entire drainage basin governments need to accept
responsibility for the whole basin. Need a western Manitoba regional voice – the southwest group has
already been established.
Water Stewardship
Tim Speers was asked to comment on the work of the field workers. Tim said that many, many hours of
preparation and road time are spent on each case. Especially in wet years, there is more sympathy
shown by the Crown towards illegal damage. Tim said the Crown prosecutor tries to sell the case in the
court, and the procedure remains the same to previous cases, with even the same judge. But different
judges uphold the cases differently. Many hours are spent in preparing the cases, and doing it in the
right way according to the Crown, but their work doesn’t seem to have the backing of the court.
Do we not have a system in place where Water Stewardship can independently levy fines? No, the case
has to be heard by a judge, and everything has to be pursuant to the Water Rights Act. How can we get
more enforcement?
MLA’s Responses to the Presentations
Drew: Thanks to Doyle, Reg, Bruce, Darren and Tim. We need a regional approach in Southwest
Manitoba; we need a regional approach to Whitewater. If we try to go through the court system, there
will be protracted litigation, or we can work on a cooperative, regional approach. We need to keep up
communication with neighbours and to determine a long-term plan.
Doyle: thanks to the municipalities for doing a fantastic job for handling SOLEs.
Question to Drew: Where do we go from here?
Response: Do your motions. Have another meeting.