Third year under water | Inaction on Assiniboine River flood mitigation puts up to 100 farms and 50,000 acres out of production
GRISWOLD, Man. — Stan Cochrane wasn’t particularly angry or dejected as he looked out at a lake covering a field of canola stubble on his farm. The Manitoba farmer has witnessed this scene many times before. Overflow from the Assiniboine River flooded his farm in 2010, 2011 and 2012. Cochrane is frustrated and tired of […] Read moreTag Archives Flooding
Alberta government urged to make plans to avert next major flood
Variable climate | Land planner says some decisions will be difficult and must involve all levels of government and the public
Brad Stelfox was travelling on the Danube River studying the effects of flooding in Europe when he received a phone call from his son in Calgary June 20. The police had given him 10 minutes to evacuate the family home in Sunnyside, an inner city Calgary community hard hit by flooding. The flooding of the […] Read more
Southern Manitoba braces for flooding
Red River set to overflow banks | Heavy snowfall in March changes flood risk for southern areas from mild to major
The Red River will likely flood southern Manitoba again this spring, but John Forrester isn’t obsessing over when it will arrive or how many acres of his land will be under water. Forrester, who farms near Letellier, only a few kilometres from the river, is taking a pragmatic approach that is best described as: whatever […] Read more
Sask. runoff forecast ‘significant’
How is snowfall measured?
It’s too soon to say flooding will be a problem for Saskatchewan farmers this year, but the first provincial spring forecast does predict above normal runoff. The Water Security Agency last week confirmed what most people see when they look outside: this winter’s snowfall has been significant. Most of Saskatchewan has seen more snow than […] Read moreManitoba producers want inter-provincial flood plan
More than 40,000 acres of cropland are under water in Manitoba’s Assiniboine River Valley because the provincial government isn’t working with Saskatchewan officials on water management, says a farmer from Griswold, Man. Stan Cochrane, president of the Assiniboine Valley Producers Association, said 1,500 acres of cropland on his farm are covered in Assiniboine River water […] Read more
Premier meets with U.S. officials to discuss flood strategy
This winter’s snow pack would suggest no repeat of last year’s spring flooding, but officials in Saskatchewan and North Dakota are preparing just in case. North Dakota governor Jack Dalrymple and senator John Hoeven met with premier Brad Wall in Regina recently to discuss short- and long-term flood control plans. Officials have been meeting since […] Read more
Manitoba must lead on drainage issues
Flooding was a problem last year not only in Manitoba but also in Saskatchewan. Both provinces faced enormous costs associated with lost crops, washed out roads and culverts and destroyed homes. In fact, flooding in Manitoba will cost taxpayers $1 billion in damages and flood-fighting efforts. This wasn’t the first year Manitoba was forced to […] Read more
Flooded Manitoba farmers blame western neighbour
KAP convention | Saskatchewan farm group leader accepts partial responsibility and says stricter laws are needed on illegal drainage
Some Manitoba farmers at the Keystone Agricultural Producers convention picked a familiar and easy target to blame for the Assiniboine River’s flood last year: Saskatchewan producers. “This is about the longest flood I’ve ever seen, this spring and summer,” George Harrison of Oak Lake told Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan president Norm Hall. “My understanding […] Read more
