Connor McDowell
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Brandon Sun
A local environmental group has rejected $1 million in project funding from the federal government following extreme pushback from the public.
The Assiniboine West Watershed District published a letter on Wednesday last week saying it declines to be a part of the program focused on the area between Riding Mountain National Park and Brandon. The now-cancelled plan aimed to repurpose land currently owned by private citizens, municipalities and First Nations, to establish an ecological corridor.
“Due to extreme opposition, the board … has decided to decline the project entitled, “From Mountain to River, Riding Mountain National Park to the Assiniboine River,” stated the letter, signed by the watershed district’s general manager, Ryan Canart.
According to its website, the Assiniboine West Watershed District provides land management program funding, resources and services to producers, municipal partners and residents. Programs provided support practices that will increase soil integrity, water quality and landscape longevity.
The news comes after residents in the area attended multiple town halls, and local organizations rallied against the plan. Rob Olson, a former conservation worker, told the Sun that farmers became suspicious of the plan proposed by Parks Canada as they believed it was going to come with an evolving set of environmental regulations relating to land use in the area.
The Parks Canada project sought to transform land that runs along the Little Saskatchewan River — between Riding Mountain National Park and Brandon — into a more environmentally focused area for wildlife. Parks Canada suggested in several letters that there would be no strings attached for locals, and that the repurposed land would not be designated as “protected.”
“Any obligations would be clearly understood by the landowner before choosing to become part of the corridor,” wrote Parks Canada ecological corridors manager Christine Drake last week. “The project area will not be formally designated or recognized as an ecological corridor by Parks Canada as part of this funding.”
Farmers, however, took notice of specific phrasing used by Parks Canada in its letters, said Olson, a Manitoba Wildlife Federation senior science adviser. After meeting with farmers, Olson said the farmers were worried about the language Parks Canada had used and its underlying potential to leave the door open for a change in plans.
“These guys are running significant businesses here, and they’re smart, and they read agreements and contracts for a living nowadays,” said Olson. “These guys are sharp. You’re not sneaking it past them.”
Olson pointed to language that omitted clearly mentioning an exact road map for future land use, such as the land would not be formally designated as a corridor “as part of this funding.” He said several promises in Parks Canada’s statements were worded in such a way that withheld commitments, while they were presented as so.
“Parks Canada, as the agency, is a protection agency. They’re not a private land management agency. So as soon as Parks Canada is chosen, it starts to send signals to people and (raises) concerns that maybe this is a protection program,” said Olson. “Then you get into the documents, and they talk about things like compatible activities, the need for regulatory mechanisms, a real focus on species at risk … those are nerve-wracking words for producers. So now they have concerns. So then they ask questions, and answers aren’t coming.”
Parks Canada has not yet released a statement about the local watershed district pulling out of the project. The last letter the agency sent to the watershed district was on Jan. 15, in which Drake wrote that the national corridor program would not contribute directly to Canada’s goal of conserving land and water by 2030.
With more than three decades of experience in conservation work, Olson said he was “in shock” when he met with farmers and saw the project. He said Parks Canada had come up with a plan that hinged on repurposing land — mostly from private citizens — and passed it on to the local watershed district, which would be provided grant funding for the project to be implemented.
“I think the process and the paper broke all the rules that I’m aware of, in terms of how to work with (private residents) in the right way,” Olson said. He added that farmers told him the engagement process was severely limited, and that they were only getting information from Parks Canada through the letters.
The Government of Canada launched the National Program for Ecological Corridors in 2022. According to the Parks Canada website, “The National Program for Ecological Corridors supports the conservation of ecological corridors in key areas across Canada. Parks Canada collaborates with other levels of government, partners, experts, and stakeholders to achieve the objectives of the program. This includes working with Indigenous partners to ensure that the program provides land stewardship and connection opportunities, and is informed by Indigenous knowledge.”
When funding for the establishment of an ecological corridor between Brandon and Riding Mountain National Park was announced in November last year, the Government of Canada wrote it was tied to conservation work, Olson said.
A press release issued at the time stated: “The Government of Canada is committed to protecting biodiversity and conserving 30 per cent of land and inland waters and 30 per cent of marine and coastal areas by 2030. But to be most effective, these protected areas must be properly connected to ensure species can move freely, interact, and find food and suitable habitat.”
Olson, who has worked on government projects focused on conservation before, told the Sun he is launching a tour in Manitoba to raise awareness about similar projects as they are introduced in other parts of the province.