Manitoba announces $76M for rural water, wastewater infrastucture

The Manitoba government announced funding for water and wastewater infrastructure for rural municipalities Tuesday.

Premier Wab Kinew said a total of $76.9 million from both the provincial and federal governments has been earmarked for critical water infrastructure to help rural communities continue to grow.

“The cost of living starts with the cost of housing, and that means we need the infrastructure that lets communities build more homes,” said the premier, who spoke at the Association of Manitoba Municipalities’ convention Tuesday morning.

“These vital water and wastewater projects give rural municipalities the capacity so they can grow, attract new families and keep life affordable.”

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Funding for the initiative comes from the provincial stream of the Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund (CHIF). Manitoba’s municipal and Northern Relations Minister, Glen Simard, said the money will be spent on upgrades that will “unleash housing and economic growth” in RMs.

“This is the critical infrastructure needed for communities to grow and thrive well into the future,” Simard said.

“Once again, local municipalities told us what they needed to be successful, and we listened.”

Among the projects that will benefit from the funding are the east and west Red-Seine-Rat (RSR) Water and Wastewater networks, as well as the Boissevain Lagoon, a sewer line from Morden to Winkler and the Pembina Valley Water Co-op’s capital plan.

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RM of Hanover reeve Jim Funk, also the chair of the RSR Wastewater Cooperative, called the investment “pivotal.”

“With construction costs rising each year, this support is vital to keeping our project on track and ensuring shovels are in the ground in 2026,” he said.

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