Manitoba announces $175M flood package

The Manitoba government has announced $175 million for compensation and future flood protection measures.

Of that, approximately $70 million will be spent on compensation while the rest will go towards building flood prevention measures, including $20 million to improve protection in Brandon and another $20 million to boost dikes along the Assiniboine River.

Residents affected by the deliberate breach of a dike at the Hoop and Holler Bend will receive 100 per cent compensation for damages and for money they spent in the effort to protect themselves against flooding.

Evacuation costs, lost wages and property damage are included — with no caps or deductibles.

The plan was announced Tuesday by Premier Greg Selinger.

"The geographical scope of this flood is beyond anything we’ve seen before. Families, businesses and producers through large parts of our province are pulling together to cope with the water," he said.

"I gave Manitoba families my word:  they won’t face this flood alone. Today we’re delivering with some much-needed help."

Residents around Lake Manitoba will be compensated up to 90 per cent — to a maximum of $200,000 per permanent residence and $90,000 per cottage — for flood damage or costs incurred to prepare for the flooding.

Those residents can apply for compensation for the remaining 10 per cent if they add permanent flood protection to their property.

The province also says it will pay 90 per cent of the cost of raising or moving cottages along Lake Manitoba (to a maximum of $20,000) and expects about 600 buildings to be part of that effort.

Other projects that will be addressed through flood protection measures:

• Modernization of the Shellmouth Dam control structure and the addition of spillway gates to improve flood-protection capacities.
• Construction of flood protection, in consultation with the City of Brandon, up to a 1-in-300-year level.
• Major rehabilitation and modernization of the Portage Diversion river-control structure.
• Repair of and making permanent the Assiniboine River dikes built over the winter between Portage and Baie St. Paul.
• Assessment of alternatives to enhance the capacity of the Assiniboine River, Lake Manitoba and Lake St. Martin flood-control systems including options to increase outflow from Lake Manitoba and Lake St. Martin.
• Extension of the community diking program for an additional two years to build more dikes including in the Assiniboine basin.
• Expansion and extension of the province’s Individual Flood Mitigation Program to help more families and businesses protect their homes and property.