09/03/2026
Parkland Municipalities Continue Working Together on Flood Recovery and Long-Term Solutions
August 2026
Municipal leaders from across Manitoba’s Parkland Region recently met again to share updates on flood recovery efforts, identify ongoing challenges, and determine the next steps for regional advocacy following the historic flooding experienced earlier this summer.
Recovery continues to progress throughout the region, with most municipalities reporting approximately 60 to 80 per cent completion of road and infrastructure repairs. Municipal employees, contractors and consultants continue working to restore roads, culverts, bridges, drainage systems and other critical infrastructure.
Across the municipalities that have reported damage totals, more than 1,584 damaged infrastructure sites have been identified, with additional sites continuing to emerge as assessments and recovery work progress.
🏥Temporary Emergency Services a Welcome Step 🏥
Municipal leaders expressed their sincere appreciation to the Province of Manitoba and Prairie Mountain Health for the work undertaken to establish temporary emergency department services in Dauphin.
The loss of emergency services at the Dauphin Regional Health Centre was one of the most significant regional concerns identified following the flooding. Establishing the temporary emergency department represents an important and welcomed step toward restoring healthcare access for Parkland residents.
However, municipal leaders emphasized that many healthcare operations and services have yet to be restored at the Dauphin Regional Health Centre.
The facility serves residents from throughout the Parkland Region, and municipalities continue to encourage the Province and Prairie Mountain Health to prioritize the full restoration of healthcare services while providing regular updates regarding progress and anticipated timelines.
👷Engineering Assessments Creating Recovery Delays 👷
Access to engineering assessments has emerged as one of the most significant obstacles facing municipalities.
With Stantec currently serving as the Province-approved engineering assessor, municipalities throughout the region continue to experience delays while waiting for damaged infrastructure to be assessed.
Municipal leaders are asking the Province to consider allowing municipalities to retain qualified professional engineers who can complete assessments in accordance with provincial and Disaster Financial Assistance requirements, or alternatively, to make additional Province-approved engineering resources available.
The objective is not to circumvent DFA requirements, but to provide enough engineering capacity to keep recovery moving.
🌾Harvest-Critical Roads Require Attention 🌾
Engineering and approval delays are particularly concerning as agricultural producers move through harvest.
Some municipalities continue to wait for authorization to repair roads necessary for agricultural access. In certain circumstances, producers are travelling significant additional distances to reach their own land.
Municipalities are requesting an expedited approval process for temporary repairs to harvest-critical roads without jeopardizing DFA eligibility.
🌊Flood Cleanup Continues 🌊
Municipalities are also dealing with crop residue, gravel, silt and other debris deposited in municipal ditches and drainage systems.
The region appreciates clarification that eligible debris locations can be documented individually as DFA sites. However, municipalities emphasized that removing this material is important not only for cleanup, but also for maintaining drainage capacity and reducing future flood risks.
Region Reiterates Call for Comprehensive Flood Review
Municipal leaders continue to call on the Province to undertake a formal and comprehensive review of the 2026 Parkland flood.
Recent events, including a new riverbank collapse in Grandview that required residents to evacuate, demonstrate that flood-related risks remain.
Municipalities believe the review should examine watershed conditions, drainage capacity, rivers and waterways, bridges and culverts, flood forecasting, water retention opportunities and the potential impacts of upstream drainage improvements on downstream communities and Dauphin Lake.
Municipal leaders emphasized that flood mitigation cannot be addressed within individual municipal boundaries.
A regional watershed approach is needed.
The group is also asking the Province to review the current DFA mitigation allowance. Municipalities expressed concern that the existing allowance of up to 15 per cent of eligible claims may not provide sufficient funding to undertake meaningful projects capable of preventing similar infrastructure failures in the future.
🌾Agricultural Recovery Remains a Priority🌾
Agricultural impacts also remain a significant concern.
Municipal leaders indicated that existing programming has not adequately addressed the circumstances facing many producers affected by flooding.
The Rural Municipality of Dauphin will lead the preparation of a separate collective Parkland advocacy letter to the provincial and federal Ministers of Agriculture requesting additional agricultural recovery support.
⏩Moving Forward Together⏩
Municipalities throughout the Parkland Region remain committed to working collectively as recovery continues.
The region’s immediate advocacy priorities include restoring remaining healthcare services at the Dauphin Regional Health Centre, increasing access to engineering assessments, expediting harvest-critical road repairs, undertaking a comprehensive review of the 2026 flood, developing a regional mitigation strategy, and strengthening support for affected agricultural producers.
Despite the magnitude of the damage, significant progress has been made.
Municipal leaders extend their sincere appreciation to municipal employees, first responders, volunteers, contractors, consultants, partner agencies, provincial staff and residents whose continued dedication has helped communities recover and rebuild.
The municipalities will continue sharing information, coordinating advocacy efforts and presenting a unified regional voice as recovery moves forward.
Rebuilding today. Stronger tomorrow.
