NDP Discontinue Long-Awaited Lake St. Martin Project, Delay Urgent Flood Mitigation
WINNIPEG — Progressive Conservatives are raising the alarm on Wab Kinew’s decision to indefinitely cease the decade-long Lake St. Martin outlet channels project.
During a committee proceeding on Wednesday, it came to light that the NDP have quietly halted the long-awaited Lake Manitoba and Lake St. Martin Outlet Channels Project. Following in-depth scrutiny from PC MLAs, NDP infrastructure minister Lisa Naylor revealed that she has told the federal government to remove the project from their consideration for environmental assessment and approval.
“Devastating floods have separated far too many Manitobans from their loved ones, their homes, and their livelihoods,” said Wayne Ewasko, Leader of the Official Opposition. “The NDP are now halting progress on efforts to prevent future flooding, destruction, and displacement.”
“Wab Kinew called this a ‘very important project’ when he was in Opposition. There have been millions upon millions invested in this very important project, involving years and years of consultations with impacted groups. Interlake communities remain vulnerable and cannot wait any longer.”
The flood-mitigation project was introduced in response to severe flooding in 2011 and 2014, which prompted thousands to evacuate from their homes and permanently displaced members of Lake St. Martin First Nation.
“The NDP are squandering a project that’s been 13 years in the making,” said La Vérendrye MLA Konrad Narth, Critic for Transportation and Infrastructure. “Our PC government engaged in extensive consultations, including over 250 meetings, over 1000 letters, and 5,000 emails and calls with 39 Indigenous groups—including First Nations, Métis, and the Interlake Reserves Tribal Council.”
“All of that is out the window because the NDP want to play politics instead of preventing another disaster.”
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