Terry Duguid, Parliamentary Secretary to Johnathan Wilkinson, Minister of Climate Change Canada, has announced the signing of a new understanding between the governments of Canada and Manitoba to protect Lake Winnipeg today.
Building upon a previous 10-year agreement between the two governments, the new understanding will support a coordinated approach to protect the water quality and health of Lake Winnipeg.
The understanding will also support the engagement of Indigenous Peoples to advance reconciliation and mutual priorities related to water quality and the health of Lake Winnipeg.
Terry Duguid, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, highlighted the importance of the lake to our province:
“Lake Winnipeg and its basin is a vital resource for many communities. It is important to our economy, generating millions of dollars of revenue in hydroelectricity, recreation, and fishing industries. Our new agreement with Manitoba on Lake Winnipeg and its basin will help build upon stakeholder efforts to address water quality and ecosystem health challenges and provide a useful framework for information sharing and science collaboration.”
Secretary Duguid also announced $519,600 in federal funding to support ten new projects under Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Lake Winnipeg Basin Program.
Lake Winnipeg is Manitoba's largest lake, Canada’s sixth-largest lake, and the 11th largest freshwater lake in the world.