Flood Duty a Focus for Manitoba

WINNIPEG – WEATHER – The Assiniboine River snakes through western Manitoba into Winnipeg where it joins the Red River in the heart of Winnipeg. Flood conditions in the province have brought the Princess Patricia Light Infantry into service helping to man the sandbagging detail in Portage la Prairie. “As always, our men and women in uniform stand shoulder to shoulder with communities during times of need. Our troops are providing critical support to Manitobans affected by the flooding in order to ensure their safety and protect their homes and businesses,”said Rob Nicholson, P.C., Q.C., M.P. for Niagara Falls and Minister of National Defence.

The federal government has stepped in after Prime Minister Harper toured the region on the weekend. “Facing widespread flooding and untold damage, the people of Manitoba and Saskatchewan have exhibited great strength and resiliency. Our Government will continue our work to ensure the safety of those communities affected by the flooding. Laureen and I are thinking of you during this difficult time,” commented the Prime Minister.

“We are pleased with the close cooperation between the federal and provincial governments and want to commend all those people who working on the response to this flood including the countless volunteers who are helping family, friends and neighbours in their time of need. Our government will continue to help Manitobans any way we can during this flood,” added Steven Blaney, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness.

The Government of Canada is providing support to Manitobans in response to flooding in the province. A formal request for assistance was made by the Government of Manitoba on July 4th.

The Government Operations Centre is working with the Manitoba Emergency Measures Organization and federal partners to determine the needs of the province as the situation unfolds. Based on this assessment federal organizations will contribute available resources to flood response. Additionally the Canadian Armed Forces have sent a reconnaissance team to western Manitoba to assess conditions and best determine what kind of assistance the military can provide in this situation.

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