Tuesday, April 15, 2025
The Manitoba government is committing $24 million in funding for the Manitoba Water Services Board (MWSB) capital budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year to assist municipalities in addressing their water and wastewater infrastructure needs, Municipal and Northern Relations Minister Glen Simard announced.
“Implementing these water system upgrades protects groundwater resources and the environment,” said Simard. “This investment will help find ways to effectively manage and improve water and wastewater infrastructures, ensuring long-term sustainability and economic prosperity for municipalities, registered water co-operatives and other communities.”
Today’s announcement supports the board’s new capital plan that includes a total provincial commitment of $120 million over five years for critical water and wastewater infrastructure throughout rural Manitoba. The highest priority projects are those that improve public health, protect the environment and are regional-based systems, noted the minister. Other priorities include funding to support economic growth, climate resiliency, water-use efficiencies and the use of innovative technologies.
“Ensuring the safe and reliable drinking water for the residents of Grandview is a top priority for our council,” said Mayor Lyle Morran, Grandview Municipality, “We are pleased that the province is supporting municipalities through the Water Services Board for the important work they do to assist us in maintaining and enhancing the water and sewer services in our communities. Support for upgrades to our Sugarloaf Water Treatment Plant will allow us to ensure that Grandview ratepayers get the important services that keep our community moving with the continuous availability of safe and reliable drinking water.”
The board’s new capital plan includes grant funding to help remove boil water advisories in the rural municipalities of Alexander and Lac du Bonnet by piping municipally treated drinking water to various water utilities.
Other projects to help protect public health and the environment include:
- Upgrades to the water treatment and booster station in Grandview Municipality.
- A new wastewater treatment lagoon in the RM of Whitemouth and replacing aging watermains and/or sewer mains in the communities of Wawanesa, Bowsman and Reston.
- Future expansion of the Cartier Regional Water Co-operative addressing both economic growth and regionalization, where the goal is to develop a groundwater source to increase the supply of drinking water to eight municipalities including significant growing water demands in the RM of Rosser-CentrePort Canada and the RM of West St. Paul.
MWSB is authorized to assist municipalities outside of Winnipeg with the development of water and wastewater infrastructure. The board delivers approximately $100 million in water and wastewater infrastructure annually outside Winnipeg through provincial support for its capital program and partnerships across federal/provincial infrastructure programs and projects for the department of Environment and Climate Change parks branch and Municipal and Northern Relations northern affairs branch.
