Waste-water woes: How sewage capacity could bog down growth in the Pembina Valley
Province put a hold on new local subdivisions in Morden related to the lack of capacity to handle waste water
The Pembina Valley's population growth is outpacing the rest of the country, but the southern Manitoba region has a big, stinky problem that could stand in the way of continued growth.
The population boom in rural Manitoba cities like Winkler and Morden is outpacing the capacity of their waste-water systems.
Winkler Mayor Martin Harder told CBC News the clock is ticking on upgrading the system.
"It's 11:59, let's put it that way.… We're not at the 12th hour, but midnight is coming," he said.
Between the 2011 census and 2016, the city of Winkler grew by 18 per cent — four times the national average — to a population of just over 14,000. The nearby city of Morden grew by 11 per cent in the same period, to a population of almost 8,000.
The cities — about 100 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg — worked with the surrounding rural municipality of Stanley in 2012 to come up with a regional waste-water solution, with the help of provincial and federal government funding.
The design and engineering plan is currently before those levels of government, but in the meantime, the municipalities and the RM are in limbo.
"Right now we are, as a region, a little bit on hold. The community is going to be affected in the very near future if we don't get this resolved," Harder said.
"We are shovel-ready, our finances are in place, our planning and engineering has done a great job putting the project forward, all the environmental studies are done. It's just a political decision that needs to be made."
'It's a concern'
Meanwhile, the waste-water situation is already affecting growth down the highway in neighbouring Morden.
Earlier this year, Manitoba Sustainable Development put a hold on subdividing properties in Morden, related to the lack of capacity to hold waste water during winter months.
The City of Morden has been asked to develop a plan to address that issue, the province said.
"Over the last few council meetings, we've had developers making the necessary changes to their plans so that construction can proceed while the last steps are completed," Morden Mayor Brandon Burley said in a statement earlier this month.
That plan hasn't yet been accepted by the province, though.
The uncertainty has local developers worried about their future in the area. Volodymyr Shynke, a general contractor for Imperia Construction, said the cap is affecting his business.
Right in the heart of Morden, on Stephen Street, Shynke's crew is putting the final touches on a $3-million mixed-use building, with condos on the upper floors and office space on the main floor.
He says the company can continue construction, but it can't subdivide the building until the hold on new subdivisions is lifted.
"As a business owner having so many employees, it's a concern, because I don't want to lay off my employees, and obviously it will have a big impact on my business," he said.
"So we have to concentrate on residential single houses rather than working on the bigger projects."
Long term, Shynke is worried about his future in the city because of the waste-water situation.
"Ninety per cent of our business is in Morden. However, we've started taking projects in Winnipeg as well now, just for the flexibility, because we're not sure what's going to happen next year."
There was also a hold on subdivisions in Winkler in 2014, Harder said. But when the Saputo cheese plant there closed and moved to Brandon, waste-water capacity was freed up, allowing the province to lift the hold.
"That has allowed the city of Winkler to grow over 30 per cent because that one industry has left," he said.
Future of growth at risk, too
The province says it's aware the current systems in the rural municipality are at or near capacity. A spokesperson said the province is currently reviewing infrastructure projects from around Manitoba, but wouldn't give a timeline for when it will be handing out approvals and funding.
Winkler's mayor says he hopes the collaborative waste-water project will be accepted soon, because a stall in growth could derail it altogether.
"To have the growth that we've experienced, to shut it off because of not being able to provide the service of the waste water that we need, and then expect it to start up again" is a challenge, Harder said.
"We're looking to boost the economy — we're not looking to shrink it."
The reeve of the RM of Stanley, Morris Olafson, told CBC News increasing the capacity of the waste-water system means building future opportunities for people looking for reasons to stay in the area or move there.
"At some point we're going to need extra sewer for these people, these young people, so they stay here, so we maintain decent housing and decent business," he said.
"So if you can offer this in the future to the different demographics of people … it's just going to make us stay steady and grow."
This story was gathered as part of CBC's pop-up bureau in Morden and Winkler. Have a story idea? Email Rachel Bergen.