The Manitoba government is releasing its initial Water Strategy Action Plan. This action plan is a focused guide to specific and time-bound actions that government is taking to transform the Water Management Strategy’s focus areas and strategic objectives into concrete actions.

We released our comprehensive Water Management Strategy on November 8, 2022, which sets the direction for Manitoba’s water future and provides a framework to conserve and protect the environment, enhance resiliency, improve water quality and availability, enhance engagement and Indigenous inclusion in water management, and foster economic development opportunities. The initial Water Strategy Action Plan is a complement to the Water Management Strategy, providing a suite of new water projects, programming and initiatives that Manitoba has launched since the release of the Water Management Strategy and will initiate in fiscal year 2023-24.

The initial Water Strategy Action Plan builds on extensive input from Manitobans, including the 2021 advice and recommendations from the Expert Advisory Council, additional citizen engagement through EngageMB, and further stakeholder engagement. The investments announced in the initial Water Action Plan reflect this feedback, and are a critical first step towards meeting the water needs of Manitobans in a resilient and sustainable way, while protecting our water resources and ecosystems.

The action plan is iterative and will be updated regularly to reflect work completed and to provide clarity on next steps and future initiatives. Manitoba is committed to providing transparent and regular progress reports, beginning with an initial progress report within one year of the release of the initial action plan.

This initial Water Strategy Action Plan signifies a continued commitment to build Manitoba’s water future, and is only the beginning of this work. This is just the first action plan and there will be more to come.

You can visit https://manitoba.ca/sd/water/index.html to learn more.

Thanks to all of you who provided your input and feedback as we developed the initial Water Strategy Action Plan.