Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - April 30, 2020, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE B2 B 2 THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2020 ? WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COMNEWS ACT WITHYOUR HEART winnipegfreepress.com We at the Winnipeg Free Press wish to thank our local arts groups for always bringing us hope, joy and laughter. WHEN THE WORLD RETURNS TO THE STAGE, WE WILL BE BACK IN OUR SEATS O TTAWA - A federal regulator has again found dozens of gaps and some errors in Manitoba Infra- structure's environmental assessment of the proposed Interlake flood channel outlets. "The (environmental impact state- ment) does not present information to justify the conclusions drawn," reads a technical information review released last week. After sending Manitoba back to the drawing board in November, federal regulators have found 63 more issues in the province's EIS for the Lake Mani- toba-Lake St. Martin megaproject, ex- pected to carry a $540-million price tag. Most of the problems involve incom- plete information, while some allege in- accurate information, as well as typos and cut-off paragraphs. Manitoba submitted its original EIS in August 2019, but the Impact Assess- ment Agency of Canada found a lack of "information on predicted environ- mental and social costs" and vague risk-mitigation plans. It recommended Manitoba "ensure references to figures are accurate." The province updated and resubmit- ted the massive report in March 2020, which Ottawa said still needs more precision. "The EIS does not address potential environmental effects associ- ated with the full suite of operational scenarios," reads last week's regulator response. Manitoba has paid a consultant $3.5 million to complete the EIS, though the contract includes fixing errors. IAAC said it needs clarity on issues such as: . Plans to prevent construction from causing farm wells to erupt; . How changes in the lakebed will im- pact water temperature and fish habi- tats; . Mitigation measures for disruptions to endangered species; . Whether the outlet will comply with federal fishery laws; . How officials will prevent wildfires from blowing up fuel-storage tanks; . Prevention plans, so construction explosives don't contaminate water- ways; . Plans to ensure drinking water re- mains potable. "The EIS does not provide enough information on the source, rationale, or details (e.g., data source, study methods and assumptions) of climate change" and its impact on the outlets' func- tioning, the IAAC found. "No follow-up or monitoring is proposed for air qual- ity," except if the project gets noise complaints during construction. "Some historical data may not have been sampled using proper quality as- sessments," reads the analysis. Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister has envisioned the legacy project as a way to prevent disastrous floods (similar to the Red River Floodway). He has urged the federal government to expedite the project's review. However, regulator filings show the province has been late to consult with Indigenous groups, despite multiple warnings from federal regulators, de- laying the transfer of a quarter-billion dollars to the province. The newest list of issues has again paused the clock for the IAAC to review the project, which currently stands at nearly eight months. Infrastructure Minister Ron Schul- er's office referred an interview re- quest to his department, which said "an iterative process" means the EIS gets fixed multiple times. "Manitoba Infrastructure remains confident in the information presented in the EIS, and is currently working with environmental and engineering consultants to respond to these ques- tions," wrote a department spokesman. dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca DYLAN ROBERTSON Interlake flood project assessment full of holes, federal regulator finds MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS GOOD DAY, SUNSHINE Early morning sun shines on a cyclist riding along Wolseley Avenue Wednesday. While there may be a few clouds in the sky today, the forecast calls for a high of 23 C. There's a 70 per cent chance of rain Friday. Incomplete information among report's problems B_02_Apr-30-20_FP_01.indd B2 2020-04-29 10:31 PM ;