MP Duguid to take a leadership role on water-quality issues in the Lake Winnipeg basin
WINNIPEG, Nov. 14, 2017 /CNW/ - Canada is committed to protecting and managing water quality in our lakes and rivers, in support of economic prosperity and the well-being of Canadians. Protecting our environment and growing our economy go hand in hand.
Today, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Catherine McKenna, announced that Terry Duguid, Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South, will help lead community collaboration efforts to address water-quality issues in Lake Winnipeg.
MP Duguid will play an active role in the public engagement process with stakeholders, Indigenous Peoples, and the scientific community. This week, MP Duguid is participating in stakeholder engagement sessions focused on strengthening basin-wide collaboration and on-the-ground action to tackle toxic and nuisance algae in Lake Winnipeg. This is the first of a series of engagement sessions with MP Duguid.
Through Budget 2017, the Government of Canada is investing $70.5 million for freshwater protection across Canada. Earlier this year, Minister McKenna announced that $25.7 million will go toward supporting the Lake Winnipeg Basin Program.
Quotes
"The magnitude of challenges facing Lake Winnipeg requires collaboration and commitment from many throughout the basin. MP Duguid—an active member of the community with a long history of advocating for the environment—will be a tremendous asset in leveraging key partnerships with Indigenous leaders, stakeholders, and the scientific community to protect this valuable resource."
– Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change
"Lake Winnipeg, Canada's other great lake, is an important resource for Manitoba's freshwater-fishery, tourism, and energy sectors. It is by harnessing the knowledge and expertise of all of those connected to the basin that we will be able to restore the health of Lake Winnipeg and advance water-management efforts throughout Western Canada."
– Terry Duguid, Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South
Quick Facts
- Lake Winnipeg is Canada's sixth largest lake and the tenth largest freshwater lake in the world. Almost a million square kilometres of land drains into Lake Winnipeg from four provinces and four states (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota).
- The 20 Indigenous communities along the shores of Lake Winnipeg rely heavily on the lake and its surrounding lands for their livelihood, sustenance, and traditional use.
- Lake Winnipeg's surface area is approximately 24 500 square kilometres, almost four-and-a-half times the size of Prince Edward Island. In September 2006, an algal bloom covered almost the entire surface of Lake Winnipeg.
- The economic viability of municipalities on the shores of Lake Winnipeg depends on the sustainability of the lake's ecosystem. In addition, Lake Winnipeg is important to the Canadian economy, generating millions of dollars of revenue in the hydroelectricity, recreation, and commercial freshwater-fishing industries.
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SOURCE Environment and Climate Change Canada
For further information: Marie-Pascale Des Rosiers, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, 613-462-5473, [email protected]; Media Relations, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 819-938-3338 or 1-844-836-7799 (toll-free), [email protected]
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