Red River dredging debate resurfaces
There are renewed calls to resume dredging a portion of the Red River near one of Manitoba’s most flood-prone areas.
The most recent came from NDP leader Jack Layton, who said dredging near the mouth of Lake Winnipeg would provide permanent protection north of Winnipeg and that it’s Ottawa’s job to pay for it.
“This isn't really about politics, it's just about doing the right thing for people that are really struggling,” Layton said in a phone interview with CBC News.
“All Canadians want to be part of the solution when one part of the country has been hit by a terrible natural disaster.”
The federal government stepped away from dredging the river in the 1990s as part of a Liberal government’s efforts to slash spending.
Currently, the Conservative government shares dredging costs in agreements with Nova Scotia and British Columbia.
James Bezan is the incumbent Conservative MP for the Selkirk-Interlake riding.
He said a recent study puts the annual cost of dredging at a third of what it used to be, at less than $500,000 a year. “I'm just saying we got to get it done. I don't care how we get it done, we just gotta get it done,” Bezan said.
He has said previously that the river should be dredged — all the way from Selkirk to the lake, a distance of about 30 kilometres.\
The Manitoba government currently owns three Amphibex machines with dredging capabilities, but said the federal government should pick up the tab as it used to.
