March 20, 2015
Manitoba Government Announces Lake Winnipeg Foundation Signs Lake Friendly Accord
– – –Foundation Committed to Action to Improve Health of Lake Winnipeg Watershed: Minister Mackintosh
The Lake Winnipeg Foundation signed the Lake Friendly Accord today, Conservation and Water Stewardship Minister Gord Mackintosh, and Mayor Rick Gamble, Village of Dunnottar, and Manitoba chair of the South Basin Mayors and Reeves, announced today.
“The Lake Winnipeg Foundation has worked tirelessly to protect our great lake and we welcome them to the growing list of signatories to the Lake Friendly Accord,” said Minister Mackintosh. “The foundation is the first local environmental, non-governmental organization to sign the accord and will work with us to ensure we have a healthy Lake Winnipeg and watershed.”
The Manitoba government and the South Basin Mayors and Reeves first partnered in June 2013 to announce the Lake Friendly Accord and establish the Lake Friendly Stewards Alliance. The goal is to improve water quality by reducing nutrients in rivers and lakes, Minister Mackintosh said.
“Leadership starts at home and we recognize our responsibility to guide the way forward,” said Alexis Kanu, executive director, the Lake Winnipeg Foundation. “We are pleased to offer our eight-point Lake Winnipeg Health Plan as our commitment to building solutions.”
The accord was signed during Canada Water Week, in advance of World Water Day, March 22 at The Forks, a historic meeting place and the junction of the Assiniboine and Red rivers. Signatories to the accord and many other stakeholders interested in improving water quality and reducing nutrients are part of the Lake Friendly Stewards Alliance, a network of stakeholders working together towards a shared goal. The Lake Winnipeg Foundation is an important partner with Manitoba and others in the alliance, chairing one of seven working groups and participating on the steering committee.
Minister Mackintosh said nutrients and algal blooms are an important issue across the Lake Winnipeg basin, which stretches across one million square kilometres through Canada and the United States including parts of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, North and South Dakota, Montana, and Minnesota.
“As partners in this initiative, the South Basin Mayors and Reeves will continue to work with local organizations, as they are a large part of the solution when it comes to reducing nutrients entering the water,” said Gamble. “The accord provides a framework for all stakeholders to assist in the development of specific actions and commitments.”
On March 21, 2014, Environment Canada, Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship and the South Basin Mayors and Reeves became the first signatories to the Lake Friendly Accord. The Red River Basin Commission’s signing of the Lake Friendly Accord on Sept. 4, 2014. in Fargo, N.D., signified the first formal cross-border support for the accord. Minnesota signed the accord on Jan. 20, 2015, becoming the first international jurisdiction to sign on.
The Manitoba government has taken strong action to reduce nutrient loading to Lake Winnipeg and its watershed as described in Lake Friendly in 50 Ways. Minister Mackintosh also announced new funding for the University of Manitoba’s Lake Winnipeg Basin Information Network today. The Lake Winnipeg Basin Information Network was created to share information on Lake Winnipeg and its watershed with managers, researchers and the public. The $25,000 grant for 2015-16 will provide critical support to expand and further develop the network in co-operation with the Lake Friendly Stewards Alliance, he said.
For more information on the accord, visit www.manitoba.ca/lakefriendlyaccordor www.lakefriendly.ca. Discover how Manitoba is Lake Friendly in 50 Waysby visiting www.manitoba.ca/lakewinnipeg.
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