Canada/New agreement between the Town and the RM of Lac du Bonnet for a water project
After two decades of tensions, the municipal councils of Lac du Bonnet and the surrounding rural municipality are putting aside their differences to launch a water connection project. This initiative, the fruit of a new spirit of cooperation, aims to provide drinking water to the municipality's residents, while strengthening ties between the two communities and paving the way for new economic opportunities in eastern Manitoba.
Ken Lodge, mayor of Lac du Bonnet, 90 km northeast of Winnipeg, says the community has finally moved ahead with its plans.
We've taken steps to eliminate that kind of attitude. We are indeed one community, and we want to be able to use our assets in the best interests of the whole community," he says.
History of discord
At the heart of the most famous examples of this lack of cooperation: the water system. The Town of Lac du Bonnet inaugurated its renovated water treatment plant in 2004, with financial assistance from the province.
The plant was also supposed to serve adjacent communities, but 20 years later, nothing had been done. The 3,600 residents of the Rural Municipality of Lac du Bonnet suffered mainly from boil-water advisories and water trucking.
Today, however, the two local governments are finally considering installing pipes in the rural municipality, to bring clean drinking water to its residents while increasing the town's revenues.
We recognize that operating our wastewater treatment plant at less than 20% capacity is probably not very efficient.
A quote from Ken Lodge, Mayor of Lac du Bonnet
A spokesperson for the province confirms that the Manitoba Water Services Board is currently working on cost-sharing agreements with the City and the Rural Municipality.
He adds that the engineering team has completed a development study on service to rural users from the City's treatment plant and is now working on the necessary improvements.
Ken Lodge, who served 14 years on the Lac du Bonnet municipal council and has been mayor since 2022, describes his relationship with the Rural Municipality as adversarial and tinged with animosity.
There wasn't a lot of respectful, collaborative approaches to what we needed to do to strengthen our community. But that's changed recently," says the mayor.
In that sense, the installation of a booming new recreational equipment dealership on the outskirts of town is underway.
This business probably wouldn't exist if local politicians hadn't put aside their differences and started working together, according to one of its co-owners.
Missed opportunities
Both the City and the Rural Municipality recognize that the lack of water has not only complicated the lives of residents, but also hampered development on both sides.
We've missed a lot of opportunities over the years because we didn't have water and sewer infrastructure," says Cindy Kellendonk, councillor for the RM of Lac du Bonnet.
The latter launched a shared community development corporation in 2018, but it failed due to differing visions.
Some think there were personality clashes. It happens in any workplace, but when you're in city government, you're expected to perform at a higher level.
A quote from Cindy Kellendonk, Councillor, RM of Lac du Bonnet
She is now enthusiastic about the potential benefits of the collaboration between the two local authorities on the water treatment project.
It's very exciting for me. It's going to generate income, create jobs and have a social impact. It's a very, very positive thing for our region and long overdue," she adds.
Both local authorities hope to install more water pipes in the ground next year.
Source: ici.radio-canada.ca/
