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CTV News
10 hours ago
- Climate
- CTV News
‘About time': Sussex, N.B., residents relieved flood plan will proceed
Holman Avenue is covered in water in Sussex, N.B., on Feb. 29, 2024. It's been a long time coming for residents and municipal leaders of Sussex and the surrounding area. Last week, the town was given approval by the federal government to proceed with a flood diversion project. The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) announced a review of the Sussex Region Flood Diversion Project was complete and determined any potential negative impacts would be limited or addressed, so the town is free to start permits and other paperwork. 'About time. We should have had it a long time ago,' said Sussex resident Susan Black. 'Our homes are getting destroyed. Over on Holman Avenue, Stewart Avenue, Maple Avenue, it was the worst it has ever been in the last couple of years. We're tired of re-doing basements.' On Feb. 29, 2024 the region received up to 200 millimetres of rain overnight causing major flooding, road closures and forcing some residents from their homes. Severe weather events in the area have caused millions in damages over the past decade. Late last year, the town proposed the construction and operation of a new, permanent flood control management system and submitted documents to the IAAC. The project involves the construction of two new flood diversion channels that will divert flood waters from Trout Creek and Parsons Brook to the Kennebecasis River during flood events. N.B. flood A resident paddles her kayak at Darlings Island, N.B. on Thursday, May 3, 2018 as the Kennebecasis River flooded the only road into the community. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan Town of Sussex CAO, Jason Thorne, said Ottawa's approval of the $38-million project is very significant news for the flood mitigation project. 'There will be no federal comments or inputs required in the environmental assessment process going forward for this project,' said Thorne. 'So what that means is a shortening of the timeline by as much as three years and cutting the cost of this overall project down by as much as $250,000.' The project is being funded by the federal, provincial and municipal governments. Thorne said the intent is to divert flood waters around the community rather than the traditional path through the downtown core. 'Mitigating upwards of $60 million in damages per flood event,' said Thorne. Julie Duplessie's family is relatively new to Sussex, but she said it's great news for the town. 'A lot of people have had a hard time over the years that we've heard,' said Duplessie. 'We are newer to the community in the last few years, but I know I've heard a lot of stories and problems that people have had so I think it's a really good thing for the town.' Georgina Dickens Moore said the town's plan should help all residents in the area. 'Cut down on all of the damage that they've had,' said Dickens Moore. 'A lot of basements being ruined. Insurance. A lot of houses maybe don't have insurance. The diversion plan is very good.' Thorne said the project is actually several smaller projects rolled into one and the first stage, a berm construction in Ward 2 of the community, is already underway. 'Which will protect upwards of 40 homes from future flooding events. The project window for that is actually over the course of this summer heading into fall and that work is underway right now,' said Thorne. Thorne said the hope is the project will be wrapped up heading into 2028. Sussex flooding Water rises up to the doorsteps of Sussex-area homes in New Brunswick on Feb. 29, 2024. For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
CBC
21-03-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Manitoba expecting designs of Interlake flood-relief channels to be completed later this year
The Manitoba government expects new designs of a long-promised flood prevention project will be completed later this year after the province asked the federal government to pause environmental assessments to address concerns from local First Nations. The Lake Manitoba and Lake St. Martin outlet channels project was featured heavily in the NDP government's latest budget, released Thursday. The spending plan outlines the province's commitment of $809 million for various infrastructure projects, including building the two channels. "A substantial amount of that money is for the ongoing consultation work," Transportation Minister Lisa Naylor said in an interview Friday. The current design would have two large outlet channels built to drain water from Lake Manitoba into Lake St. Martin and then into Lake Winnipeg. The new design could include alternatives that would address concerns from communities and the federal government. Nearby First Nations have long called for meaningful consultation on the project, previously saying the previous Progressive Conservative government failed to do so. Communities have said traditional land and sacred sites could be affected. The federal government sided with First Nations last June. The Impact Assessment Agency has said the project's environmental effects could be addressed, but it would have a significant impact on Indigenous land use. The federal minister said he would refer the issue to cabinet for a decision. The province asked to put a pause on that process to work with communities. "With 40 different communities affected, there's an enormous amount of work that's been going on to address their environmental concerns, as well as concerns related to traditional land use and sacred sites," Naylor said. Final designs are slated to be completed by this spring, but First Nations have yet to sign off. "Everybody wants to be on the same page when it comes to the channels," said Cornell McLean, chair of the Interlake Reserves Tribal Council and chief of Lake Manitoba First Nation. "The Manitoba government seems sincere about trying to work with us, but we haven't seen the fruits of that labour yet." The Interlake chiefs and the province are in the process of signing a memorandum of understanding that addresses some concerns from the federal government and communities. Naylor wouldn't say what the document might include. The project has been talked about for more than a decade, following severe flooding in 2011 that forced thousands of people from their homes. The former Progressive Conservative government promised in 2016 to build the project quickly but butted heads for years with federal regulators and nearby First Nations who called for more consultation with the communities that would be affected. In 2022, a judge ruled the government did not consult properly before setting up a right of way on Crown land for preparatory work, such as groundwater monitoring. McLean says he wasn't surprised to see the project is top of mind for the provincial government, but added it needs to follow through on its commitment to work with communities. "At this point, we're agreeable to helping … but they need to honour their agreements, too." The province estimates that once approved, the project could take three to four years to complete.
