Manitoba unveils new flood forecasting centre

Manitoba's new flood forecasting centre will be ready for this year's flood season.

Provincial officials showed reporters around the 15,467-square-feet Hydrologic Forecast Centre in Winnipeg on Tuesday. The new space will accommodate more forecasters and flood operators than the previous facility.

The state-of-the-art centre is equipped with audio-visual communication technology and powerfulcomputers that can "rapidly analyze multiple sources of large data groups," Premier Greg Selinger said in a news release.

"A new flood forecasting centre, bringing together our flood forecasting expertise in a technically advanced environment, is a critical element in the ongoing challenges we face as a province when nature sends record floods our way," Selinger said.

The province also announced on Tuesday that it accepts an independent report that calls for major upgrades to flood management in western Manitoba and a new flood channel for Lake Manitoba.

• Read the full report on the province's website

The report says the province should spend more than $1 billion to build a second channel for the lake, which would provide "one-in-200-year flood protection for people around Lake Manitoba, Lake St. Martin and the lower Assiniboine River," the government said in a release.

It also recommends widening the Portage Diversion and the channel at Lake St. Martin.

Selinger said the government will next consult with indigenous and local communities on ways to move forward with the report's recommendations.