Premier Wab Kinew says his government will ensure a massive upgrade of Winnipeg’s largest sewage treatment plant is built, after the mayor warned the city is facing a “crisis moment” in capacity.
“We’re going to get the North End plant built,” Kinew said during question period at the legislature Wednesday. However, he stopped short of committing new funds for the project.
Earlier this week, a city report noted Winnipeg could run out of sewage capacity to process sludge into “biosolids” within four to six years without completing the next phase of the multibillion-dollar upgrade. If that happens, the problem could stall new development, the report noted.
MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES
Premier Wab Kinew, centre, pictured with Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham, left, says the NDP government will ensure a massive upgrade of Winnipeg’s North End sewage treatment plant is built.
The premier’s comment followed a question from interim opposition leader Wayne Ewasko, who suggested failing to complete the next phase of the upgrade would leave Winnipeg unprepared to grow to one million people, which is expected around 2046.
“This target is in jeopardy (without) the necessary sewage capacity to facilitate that growth,” said Ewasko, claiming a new federal-provincial-municipal deal on the project is needed to “prevent economic catastrophe.”
In an interview with the Free Press Thursday, Municipal Relations Minister Glen Simard echoed Kinew’s pledge in the house Wednesday, but made no mention of additional funds.
“We’re committed to making this (upgrade) a reality,” he said.
The city, province and Ottawa had a funding deal to complete phase 2 of the upgrade for $553 million before the price soared to $1.035 billion.
The rising cost of the project has been a key source of delay for several years. On Thursday, Gillingham said the three governments are committed to working together and discussions on the matter are “very active.”
“We know that to accommodate the growth that we have seen in the City of Winnipeg, and to prepare Winnipeg to continue to grow, we have to get the North End plant built,” he said. “I said it’s urgent, I said it’s a crisis moment. I stand by those words.”
Gillingham doesn’t expect a delay in construction on the second biosolids facility phase of the work, expected to begin in 2025, because the work will take as much time as there is capacity.
The three-phase sewage treatment plant upgrade is officially slated to cost $2.38 billion, though a recent city report estimated that could rise to $3 billion.
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Joyanne Pursaga
Reporter
Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.
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