Province looking to strengthen Manitoba’s Environment Act, minister says

Manitoba’s environment minister says the province is looking to strengthen environmental regulations to protect local waterways.

Tracy Schmidt announced Wednesday that the province is looking at finding ways to intervene sooner — via mechanisms like fines — in crisis situations, such as the recent sewage spill in Winnipeg.

1:35 City of Winnipeg completes temporary sewer repairs, says water usage can go back to normal

Millions of litres of raw sewage leaked into the Red River last month due to the failure of two aging sewer pipes in Winnipeg’s south end.

“The recent sewage spill in the city of Winnipeg raised concerns about how we can better protect our water,” Schmidt said in a statement. “We want to be able to step in right away when there are issues with water treatment. We’re also working with the City of Winnipeg and are committed to assisting them with $10 million in funding for improvements to wastewater infrastructure.”

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Schmidt said the current Environment Act delays quick intervention and also doesn’t require authorities to notify the public when a severe environmental incident occurs.

1:01 Motion requesting city fine for sewage spill shot down