Environment
Close to home, Capital Region residents measure the quality of their environment in terms of safe drinking water, clean rivers, streams and lakes, vigorous natural areas, managed drainage, and clean air. On a broader stage it is measured by our impacts of global warming. All of these environmental concerns need to be addressed through intentional environmental strategies.
Keep our waterways clean
We have a regional responsibility to protect the quality of water in Lake Winnipeg, the rivers and streams that drain the Region and the groundwater, all of which are valuable for drinking water, recreation and natural habitat.
Ensure safe drinking water
Clean, safe and reliable drinking water should be available to every resident of the Capital Region.
Manage drainage
Drainage from farmland and urban environments should not burden adjacent municipalities or negatively impact our rivers and streams or Lake Winnipeg.
Protect natural areas
Treed areas, natural prairie, river and stream edges and wetlands shelter the plants, animals and insects that connect us with nature. These natural areas should be identified and protected.
Reduce global warming
Local decisions have a direct and indirect impact on the region’s ecological footprint. Decisions about new development, alternate transportation options and the way we use our settlement areas can have a long term positive impact on global warming.
Adopt local environmental strategies
When “the environment” is an intentional perspective in local decision making there can be positive short and long term benefits for the quality of the Capital Region’s environment. Every local plan should address local and regional environmental issues.
Measuring Success
- There is continuing improvement to the quality of all the Region’s water bodies.
- There are formal or informal understandings between municipalities concerning inter-municipal drains.
- Municipal plans have specific policies on protection of ground water.
- All new development is connected to a municipal water system.
- There is a reduction in the number of households relying on groundwater.
- There are more agreements for the sharing and development of municipal water and sewage treatment services.
- Government cost/benefit analysis of any new development has been expanded to include more environmental factors.
- All local authority has a comprehensive environmental strategy focussed on sustainability.
Acting on the Environment
- Facilitate continuing inter-municipal discussions on shared sewer and water services.
- Develop models for inter-municipal servicing agreements including process, form, management and dispute resolution.
- Research benchmarks for environmental issues like surface water quality, air quality, recycling, water use, waste management and others that may form the basis for future development management targets.
- Provide a sustainable rationale for development policies that permit new residential development that is not fully serviced.
- Critically review current local environmental policy and develop models for basic municipal environmental management.
- Map the natural areas of the region and define their value.