Steinbach, province sign MOU to transfer Manning Canal responsibility to city

Steinbach will maintain a waterway that previously was under provincial responsibility, after both levels of government agreed to transfer its jurisdiction.

Steinbach city council voted unanimously on April 21 to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Manitoba government to bring the section of the Manning Canal that ran through the city under Steinbach’s control. The city was in negotiations with the province since 2022 about taking over the only provincially-maintained drain running through the municipality.

Mayor Earl Funk said having the Manning Canal under city responsibility will allow improvements to happen faster as more developments are built in Steinbach.

“I think this will help everyone downstream manage their water better, as we can slowly develop it. It’s not going to happen overnight. It’s going to take years, and as development happens along, it will keep improving,” he told reporters after the council meeting.

The city is planning to widen the drain, give it a concrete bottom for easy maintenance and create retention ponds to slow the water flow, Funk said. He pointed to the proposed measures as an added layer of flood management because it would allow the city to hold back water before it enters municipal limits and lower-graded areas.

Steinbach flooded in two consecutive years in 2024 and 2025 after seeing historic rainfalls overnight, overwhelming the city’s drains and sewer system.

Coun. Susan Penner made the motion to approve the jurisdiction transfer and said having the canal under provincial responsibility made it “more time consuming” when work or approvals were needed.

“It will really benefit our community, and it will also benefit developers who are trying to develop and are being held up by decisions at the provincial level as it pertains to this drain,” she said.

Coun. Jake Hiebert, who seconded the motion, called the agreement “comprehensive” in outlining the responsibilities for both the province and Steinbach.

“This legislation is probably far overdue. It’s something that the city’s been dealing with for a number of years, and we dealt with the watershed when I was there,” he said.

Funk didn’t provide a timeline or estimated cost for the planned improvements to the drain.