Feds chip in $27M for Winnipeg sewage project

The federal government is offering Winnipeg $27 million to help reduce combined sewer overflows, its first financial contribution to the major environmental project.

The City of Winnipeg is provincially mandated to complete a $1.15-billion master plan by 2045 that reduces such sewage spills. The municipal government has so far paid for that work alone, however, as provincial and federal funding focused on the city’s separate $3.1-billion upgrade of the north end sewage treatment plant.

“It’s wonderful to see the federal government (do this) … It’s going to make a difference on the (combined sewer overflow) projects. We’ve got a lot of them to do in the city … With the rain events we saw this year, the importance of accelerating combined sewer projects across the city is more (pressing) than ever,” said Coun. Jeff Browaty (North Kildonan), chairman of finance.

Older combined sewers still serve about one third of Winnipeg, collecting both precipitation and wastewater in a single pipe. Heavy rain or snow can cause the pipes to overflow, which releases billions of litres of diluted sewage into Winnipeg rivers each year.

Coun. Brian Mayes (St. Vital) said it’s a significant breakthrough for the city to be offered some financial help on the project.

“Hopefully, it’s a sign of things to come because we’ve had to go it alone on what’s going to be a billion-dollar project,” said Mayes.

The councillor, who championed efforts to ensure the city completed the project in the 2040s, instead of an original plan to do so by the 2090s, said $27 million could help push work forward sooner.

“If this cuts a couple of years off the work, maybe even one year off, (that’s) fantastic … It will help with relief from basement flooding and reduce the amount of raw sewage going into the rivers,” said Mayes.

The city will spend about $45 million this year to reduce combined sewer overflows, thanks to a short-term budget boost between 2024 and 2027. That’s expected to drop to about $33 million in 2028, said Mayes.

A final city council vote is required to officially accept the funding.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

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