The Red River Basin Commission South Chapter Holiday Gala was Thursday night. The 9th annual fundraiser brought together people from both sides of the border and both sides of the river at the Morris Multiplex.
"It's the whole idea of creating a sustainable environment in terms of how we live, and the quality of water," shared Municipality of Rhineland Reeve Don Wiebe who is Chair of the South Chapter. "Also, now Red River Basin is into soil health, and the fact we're getting noticed on the American side by large corporations that want to be able to say whatever we market is grown in a sustainable way. That's a really important concept. And of course, in Manitoba, the quality of water and Lake Winnipeg. We're all connected to that, and when we can work to to improve the quality of water going there, we're doing a great thing."
The money raised during the banquet will be used to host educational presentations and other events about water protection in the Red River Basin. In the past, some of the key projects for the group have included gathering LiDAR data across the basin, fish restocking as well as supporting the North Chapter with its Lake Winnipeg initiatives.
Looking ahead to the next several years, the Red River Basin Commission has a number of priorities, including continued support for the work of watershed districts.
"The management of water by watershed districts is key, and we want to give those programs strength, and also begin education programs in terms of farm operations and all those kind of things that make sense, "explained Wiebe. "We have fairly good subscription to the idea, but it needs a bit more energy from the province and from everyone just to do it. Managing water on a watershed basis makes so much sense, including farm drains, municipal drains, provincial drains working in concert with all that."
Tracy Schmidt, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, as well as Lisa Naylor, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure attended Thursday's gala.
"It gives us a chance to interact with the MLA's and the ministers, and we can highlight the importance of the Basin's objectives," noted Wiebe.
Also part of the evening was the presentation of the 2024 South Chapter Award to Jodi Goerzen, former District Manager of the Seine Rat Roseau Watershed District, for her wide ranging efforts to support conservation and water protection.
You can listen to the conversation with Don Wiebe, below.