A win for the Seine

St. Vital

When city hall reshuffled funding for more than 60 community groups this February, there were bound to be winners and losers.

I opposed handing full control of these grant decisions to administration, but council’s majority chose that route. As expected, several organizations saw their funding reduced or eliminated. That’s why I was especially pleased to see one group with deep roots in St. Vital come out stronger – Save Our Seine will now receive $35,000 annually, up from $27,000.

That may sound straightforward, but this grant has a long and sometimes rocky history.

I first pushed to establish city funding for Save Our Seine to fulfill an election pledge I made in 2011. In 2013, I directed money from my ward office budget to support the organization. The following year, with the support of Dan Vandal, I secured $30,000 in the 2014 city budget to create a stable, annual grant.

It didn’t stay stable.

During the sweeping 2020 budget overhaul, the grant was nearly wiped off the books entirely. Residents pushed back – loudly – and councillors ultimately restored the funding at a reduced level of $27,000. It wasn’t ideal, but it kept the work going.

And that work matters.

From pulling debris out of the Seine to restoring shorelines and organizing community cleanups, Save Our Seine has been a steady environmental steward in Winnipeg’s south end. Its expertise will become even more important as the city moves ahead with a $15-million green infrastructure project in the Mission sewer district in north St. Boniface – a project that will draw directly on the knowledge and experience of SOS. Cutting their grant at a time like this would make little sense.

Under the new 2026 funding process, I was proud to support their application once again. This renewed funding ensures that Save Our Seine can continue protecting and enhancing one of our community’s most important natural assets.

The other councillors whose wards border the Seine – Matt Allard (St. Boniface) and Markus Chambers (St. Norbert–Seine River) – have also been strong supporters of the organization’s efforts. That kind of cross-ward co-operation is exactly what good environmental stewardship requires.

If we are serious about protecting the Seine, we should be investing more – not less – in the people doing the work on the ground. I hope in the coming years we see this grant grow, not face renewed uncertainty.