Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 1/9/2017 (1113 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The provincial government is looking to cut and possibly offload its costs in the annual icebreaking program.

The province has notified the three municipalities north of Winnipeg helped most by the icebreaking program that it wants to renegotiate its agreement with them.

"It wants to talk about the future, and it wants to talk about the finances," said Selkirk Mayor Larry Johannson.

Specifically, the province is reviewing Amphibex Corporation that operates the province's three icebreakers, as well as a fourth that serves as a backup. Amphibex Corp. is run by an arms-length management agency comprised of the City of Selkirk and RMs St. Andrews and St. Clements.

"We run the whole show. We run the corporation's machines and we take care of the corporation's machines," said Johannson, Amphibex chairman.

However, Amphibex is almost completely funded by the province to the tune of over $1 million annually. The three municipalities contribute $16,000 each per year.

The municipalities maintain the funding agreement is fair because the flush of water from the Winnipeg floodway exacerbates the ice jams downstream.

The three municipalities also paid for one-third of the cost of one Amphibex machine when the corporation was formed in 2006. It cost $1.2 million but was purchased as used equipment and now serves as a backup icebreaker.

Ottawa and the province were to pay a third of the cost each but the newly elected Stephen Harper-led Conservative government backed out. The province ended up paying two-thirds of the cost, and has since purchased three more icebreakers on its own.

Amphibex not only breaks up a 28-kilometre stretch of ice on the Red River north of Winnipeg but also breaks up ice at the Portage Diversion, Icelandic River, and some rivers impacting indigenous communities. "We go where the province sends us," said Johannson.

Another possibility is that the province may want to run the icebreaker program out of one of its own departments.

"As you know, every government entity is on the table right now," said Johannson, referring to the province's attempts to rein in government spending.

A government spokesman said, "The province looks forward to meeting with (Amphibex Corp.) in the near future to discuss the program. Operation of this program is being reviewed as part of the government’s efforts to ensure value for taxpayer dollars."

Darrell Kupchik, director of Amphibex Corp, said many of its operations have been streamlined.

"We're breaking more ice in less time," he said. "We've developed and refined ice breaking and ice cutting techniques, and been able to reduce manpower and the equipment requirement."

Johannson added: "Do you have to break ice on the Red every year? Maybe not. That's something we've looked at for the last while." The Amphibex Corp. keeps statistics on river ice and flood scenarios, he said.

Amphibex Corp. has also performed post-flood cleanup of floating bogs at Caddy Lake in Whiteshell Provincial Park, and has started dredging. Falcon Lake wants the Amphibex machines to perform a month's worth of dredging there.

"We dredged the whole of Lake St. Martin channel. I think dredging is where these machines are really going to shine," said Johannson. They are more environmentally friendly as they don't stir up the bottom as much as regular dredging equipment.

The mouth of the Red has become silted in, making it difficult for big boats to navigate through the channel into Lake Winnipeg. "Your motor digs into the silt and it can become dangerous," Johannson said. Bigger boats are avoiding the channel and setting up in Gimli and Hecla instead of Selkirk, he said.

"If the feds ever have money for dredging, and want to start dredging the channel where the Red empties into Lake Winnipeg, these are the machines that can do it and do it efficiently," he said. The dredgers previously used by the federal government have been sold and are no longer on the river.

The three mayors are expected to meet with a representative for the province later this month.

bill.redekop@freepress.mb.ca