The federal government has announced nearly $1 million in funding to create an ecological corridor in Manitoba.
Winnipeg South Liberal MP Terry Duguid — parliamentary secretary to the prime minister and special adviser for water — made the announcement at the Manitoba Museum late Friday morning.
The project aims to create a belt of green space along the Little Saskatchewan River, from Riding Mountain National Park to the Assiniboine River. It will also improve water quality in local river systems and help maintain species at risk, the government said in a news release.
“Manitobans have asked our government to conserve these places and our beautiful province. Today’s announcement does just that: an ecological corridor initiative — in partnership with local First Nations, landowners and local governments — to safeguard the southwest of our province,” Duguid said in the release.
“The corridor will greatly improve the connectivity between protected and conserved areas, allowing species to move and interact freely on the landscape.”
The project will be funded by Parks Canada’s national program for ecological corridors, which launched in 2022. It will “elevate conservation planning and Indigenous stewardship in the heartland of Manitoba,” the release said.
Last week, Parks Canada announced nearly $6 million in funding for nine other ecological corridor projects in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec.
“These areas were identified by Parks Canada in collaboration with a diverse range of partners, experts, stakeholders and the public, using national-scale data and several scientific assessment methodologies,” the federal government said last week.
fpcity@freepress.mb.ca