Manitoba New Democrats promise money to upgrade Winnipeg sewage plant

The City of Winnipeg could get help upgrading its main sewage treatment plant if the New Democrats win the Manitoba election.

NDP Leader Wab Kinew says he would commit $500 million for the province's share of the project in the city's North End if his party is victorious on Sept. 10.

The treatment plant deals with 70 per cent of Winnipeg's sewage and a long-planned upgrade would remove phosphorus and nitrogen from effluent sent into the Red River, which empties into Lake Winnipeg.

Kinew said the Progressive Conservative government has been dragging its feet on the project.

But PC spokesperson Braeden Jones pointed the finger back at the NDP, saying the party was in government in 2003 whentheClean Environment Commission first recommended upgrades to the North End plant. Over the next 13 years, he said,NDP governments repeatedly failed to follow through on promises to act.

"Meanwhile, Lake Winnipeg became the most endangered lake in the world in 2013 under the NDP's watch," Jones wrote, in an email to CBC News. "This is more NDP hypocrisy today."

The Liberals also have promised to help upgrade the treatment plant as part of a water-quality effort that would be financed by issuing bonds to the public.

Kinew said that would take time and his party would fund the project immediately out of government revenue.

The similarity between the two planswasn't lost on leader Dougald Lamont, who described the NDP's pledge Friday as "a straight lift" of the Liberal plan.

"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but plagiarism should get you kicked out of school," Lamont said in an emailed statement.

• Full coverage of Manitoba's 2019 election

Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman, meanwhile, said the cost of meeting environmental licensing requirements to remove phosphorous and nitrogen from the city's wastewater should be borne by all levels of government, as recommended by the Clean Energy Commission.

In an emailed statement, Bowman said he supports "any commitment to equally fund the costs of meeting provincial licensing requirements for Winnipeg's water treatment plants."

Sign up for CBC Manitoba's newsletter for insight into the latest election news. Every week until the campaign ends, we'll send you a roundup of what you need to know.