Canada and Manitoba renew commitment to Lake Winnipeg as Canada announces over $2.8 million for freshwater projects

The Canada–Manitoba Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Respecting Lake Winnipeg and the Lake Winnipeg Basin supports communication, consensus-building, science collaboration, and the advancement of shared priorities to inform decisions and actions that support the long-term health of Lake Winnipeg and its basin. The Lake Winnipeg Freshwater Ecosystem Initiative provides financial support for partner-led projects that improve the water quality and ecological health of Lake Winnipeg.

Canada-Manitoba Memorandum of Understanding Respecting Lake Winnipeg and the Lake Winnipeg Basin

Lake Winnipeg is Canada's sixth-largest lake and the world's eleventh-largest freshwater lake by area. Its watershed spans nearly one million square kilometers across four Canadian provinces and four U.S. states and is home to more than six million Canadians. The lake supports commercial and recreational fisheries, hydroelectric generation, tourism, recreation and culturally significant places for Indigenous peoples and communities throughout the basin. Protecting Lake Winnipeg requires coordinated action across jurisdictions to address challenges such as excessive nutrient loading from agriculture, wastewater systems, and urban runoff (leading to harmful algal blooms); the impacts of climate change; invasive species; and changing land use.

The Canada–Manitoba Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Respecting Lake Winnipeg and the Lake Winnipeg Basin provides a framework for cooperation between Canada and Manitoba. It supports communication, consensus-building, science collaboration, and the advancement of shared priorities to inform decisions and actions that support the long-term health of Lake Winnipeg and its basin.