August 1, 2014
Province Announces Funding for New Flood Protection
– – –Village of Winnipegosis, Community of Crane River to Benefit from Better Flood Protection: Premier Selinger
Swan River—The Manitoba government will assist the Village of Winnipegosis and community of Crane River to build permanent protection against flooding, Premier Greg Selinger announced here today.
“The province is pleased to partner with the Village of Winnipegosis and community of Crane River to build permanent dike protection,” said Premier Selinger. “Protecting families, businesses and property from more frequent and severe flooding is a priority for our government. By minimizing risk, we can prevent a lot of the stress and damage caused by floodwaters, and also keep our economy growing steadily.”
The Winnipegosis project will be funded through the Building Manitoba Fund (BMF), Manitoba’s program for sharing provincial tax revenue with municipalities. The Manitoba government will fund 90 per cent of the flood protection work to a maximum of $300,000.
The premier said that through the fund, municipalities receive infrastructure and other project funding equal to one percentage point of the provincial sales tax to ensure investments in transit and infrastructure grow as Manitoba’s economy grows. Although there is funding available for flood fighting-related activities through the federal-provincial Disaster Financial Assistance program arrangements, not all projects qualify under federal guidelines. The provincially funded BMF provides more flexibility for important projects such as flood mitigation, Premier Selinger said.
Additional funding of $300,000 will be invested in permanent flood protection works for the Aboriginal and Northern Affairs community of Crane River. The funds will be used to protect homes, the community hall and ball grounds.
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