Flooding buyouts to be considered: Selinger

There couldbe buyouts coming for owners of cottages and homes affected by the severe flooding on the south shore of Lake Manitoba.

Premier Greg Selinger said Wednesdaythe focus right now is on still protecting property from the dangers posed by the record-high lake levels.

However, individuals may receive buyouts depending on what has happened to their property and land as a result of the flooding, he said.

[IMAGEGALLERY galleryid=646 size=small]

But none of that will be considered until the threat from the lake has passedandconsultations withrural municipality officials have taken place.

Numerous properties along the lake Twin Lakes Beach, Laurentian Beach, Sandpiper Beach, Pioneer Resort, Delta Beach, and Johnson Beach have been heavily damaged in the past week.

Powerful winds have whipped across swollen Lake Manitoba creating large waves that pounded the shore and washed inland.

That area is about 70 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.

Angry at government

Hundreds of people who live and farm in the region have expressed anger at the provincial government for creating the perilous situation on the lake.

Floodwaters from the Assiniboine River have been channeled through thePortage Diversion for months. The 29-kilometre long channel takes the water from an entry point just west of Portage la Prairie and empties it into Lake Manitoba.

Diverting the Assiniboine helps minimize flooding where the Assiniboine joins the Red River downstream in Winnipeg.

As a result, the water levels on Lake Mabitoba are artificially high andnot expected to reach its peak until early July. Officials had been saying the peak would come in mid-June but they revised the date on Monday.

They also predict it will top out 0.3 metres higher than they originally thought.