The province's recently announced nearly $6 million investment into a variety of water supply projects throughout the region comes a very good news to Morden-Winkler MLA Cameron Friesen. The projects include upgrades to the Morden water treatment plant, and several pipeline upgrades which will increase supply to the community which has been facing drought concerns and water issues for much of the year.

"A number of a sequence of important projects have either been completed, or are being completed, to make sure we can do what we can to bolster water supply to Morden and other communities," said Friesen. "This includes a very significant investment to double the size of the Pembina Valley Water Co-op line that runs between Morris and Winkler, and then that line is extended to Boundary Trails Health Centre, so we will have our very first potable water municipal source to our regional hospital. Residents will also have seen a line extended south of Boundary Trails Hospital, now, which allows us to tie Morden's water supply to the Letellier plant for the Pembina Valley water treatment circuit, and that will be an important redundancy in the future, but it's even more important now, because it will allow the Pembina Valley Water Co-op to provide almost half of all of Morden's current needs for water in the winter season. It allows Morden to then not draw from the Lake (Minnewasta) for that amount of additional water. And working in cooperation, the City of Winkler has taken and increased the amount of water they are processing from the aquifer, and then not taking that additional water from the Pembina Valley Water Coop."

Friesen noted these projects are valued at nearly $18 million, and are expected to help provide some regional protection against future drought conditions, similar to those experienced in 2021. In addition to funding from the Manitoba government, the projects have also received support from other sources, such as the federal government, municipal governments or the Pembina Valley Water Cooperative.