Morden decides on solution for wastewater woes — but funding still an issue

Rosanna Hempel · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 19, 2025 5:57 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

The City of Morden is moving toward a solution for its wastewater woes, arsenic its existent lagoon strategy nears capacity, importantly slowing operation of caller homes — but backing is inactive an issue.

The confederate Manitoba metropolis has explored a fig of options for a caller wastewater attraction strategy successful the past fewer years — including 1 that progressive buying onshore successful the adjacent agrarian municipality of Roland, which wasn't fashionable among residents determination — but Mayor Nancy Penner says she's relieved they've settled connected a imaginable solution with a quicker timeline.

The metropolis present wants to acquisition 80 acres (about 32 hectares) of onshore eastbound of its existent lagoon site, it announced successful a quality merchandise connected Wednesday.

The enlargement and upgrades would let the metropolis to treble its colonisation by 2047 to 20,300 people, Penner said successful an interrogation with CBC News.

"We're conscionable crossing our fingers that we tin determination forward," Penner said. "We'll spell guardant with the preliminary plan work, and that tin hap precise quickly, truthful wrong the adjacent year, we could beryllium putting this task retired to tender."

Penner has antecedently said, contempt commitments of $11 cardinal from Ottawa and $28 cardinal from the state for the project, the metropolis is astir $30 cardinal short.

The estimated terms tag of $88 cardinal to $108 cardinal hasn't changed, she said Thursday.

"It's not a money-saving venture, but we besides recognize the longer we wait, the much this task is going to grow, and we person to halt kicking this tin down the road, and this assembly is adamant that we person a wide way forward," Penner said.

"We volition lobby governments, and we volition look astatine different options of backing and spot what we tin travel up with."

CBC has reached retired to the national and provincial governments to inquire whether discussions about contributing more wealth are underway.

In an emailed statement, Minister of Municipal and Northern Relations Glen Simard said his "door is ever unfastened to speech with municipal partners astir important infrastructure projects successful their community."

The metropolis besides needs an biology licence and for the Rural Municipality of Stanley to o.k. a conditional onshore usage application.

Short-term solution

The caller strategy would person 3 caller lagoon cells connected the 80 acres, which would beryllium covered with floating insulation to minimize vigor nonaccomplishment and odour emissions, Penner said. The aged cells would beryllium decommissioned and utilized to clasp treated h2o implicit the winter.

Morden continues to enactment with neighbouring Winkler connected a short-term solution that the mayors person antecedently said would let Morden to pump excess sewage to a attraction installation successful Winkler, perchance by autumn 2026, pending a feasibility study.

"We've approved, successful principle, the impermanent connection," Winkler Mayor Henry Siemens said successful a substance message.

The duplicate cities proceed to negociate a municipal services statement that volition request last support from some councils, helium said.

Siemens expects the statement and approvals to beryllium finished by aboriginal 2026.

"They are arsenic excited arsenic we are [for the semipermanent solution], due to the fact that they cognize erstwhile Morden grows, they grow, and what's bully for Morden is bully for them," Penner said.

In the meantime, sewer and h2o rates won't summation this twelvemonth arsenic the metropolis had hoped, she said. The Public Utilities Board has asked them to resubmit their exertion erstwhile their wastewater attraction task is acceptable successful stone.

"It's frustrating. How bash municipalities physique a reserve to expand? But that's the mode the strategy works, and we volition comply with their rules," Penner said.

The rates would person much than doubled implicit 3 years nether the archetypal application.

Penner said they volition clasp unfastened houses to support the assemblage abreast of their plans arsenic the task moves forward.