Manitoba PC Leader Brian Pallister calls for faster flood action

WINNIPEG – Manitoba Opposition Leader Brian Pallister is accusing the NDP government of not moving quickly enough on flood-prevention projects.

A new outlet to drain water from Lake Manitoba should only take three years to build, not seven, as the government has planned, Pallister said Tuesday.

Premier Greg Selinger should hold an emergency meeting with Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall to discuss farmland drainage, he also said.

Drainage across the provincial boundary is believed to have added to this summer’s flooding along the Assiniboine River in western Manitoba.

Emergency Measures Minister Steve Ashton was not immediately available for comment.

The government has said planning large-scale flood projects takes time due to required engineering work, environmental studies and other factors.