Environment Committee on Feb. 26th, 2026

[Rebecca Trowell, North Basin Manager, Red River Basin Commission]

Thank you.

I'm Rebecca Trowell. I am the north basin manager for the Red River Basin Commission, RRBC. I manage our Winnipeg, Manitoba, office under our executive director, Ted Preister, who works out of our Fargo, North Dakota, office. I've been with the RRBC for five years and have worked with many amazing, dedicated organizations on shared issues.

The Red River Basin Commission is a charitable, not-for-profit organization that facilitates co-operation and water management across jurisdictions. Our role is to bring governments, technical experts and stakeholders together to identify, develop and implement solutions to cross-boundary water issues. The RRBC is led by 44 directors representing the diversity of this multi-jurisdictional basin. It is comprised of local, state, provincial and first nations government representation; the environmental community; and members at large. We have offices in both Fargo, North Dakota, and Winnipeg, Manitoba.

The Red River basin is a unique and highly interconnected region. Protecting its residents from extreme weather events is one of the central priorities of the Red River Basin Commission. Our natural resource framework plan is a tool that contributes to developing a unified voice for the basin. It is comprised of 13 basin-wide goals, including flood response and recovery programs that meet the needs of all Red River basin residents.

With an increasing rate of extreme weather events, the impacts of droughts and floods are felt by municipalities, agricultural producers, indigenous communities, businesses and households across the Canadian prairies. Reducing those risks and improving our collective resilience in every infrastructure or water management project is at the core of the commission's work.

Climate projections for the prairies point to a future of higher temperatures and more variable precipitation. The heat dominates, causing thirstier crops, soils and atmosphere. The precipitation will generate less runoff on average, as moisture disappears into cracks in the ground and evaporates back into the atmosphere—an implication of higher temperatures. We're already seeing this volatility. The Red River basin experienced significant low-water conditions in 2021, which was followed by significant high-water events in 2022 as well as the catastrophic wildfires of 2025.

Protecting residents from both drought and flood requires long-term, basin-wide thinking. One of the most effective tools available is investment in natural infrastructure that decreases the risk of both flood and drought. In addition, the commission's water supply working group plays an important role in preparedness. The group facilitates information sharing, improves stakeholder understanding of drought and emergency water supply risks, and promotes coordination between local and regional planning efforts.

The Red River Basin Commission remains committed to supporting governments and communities in these efforts. Protecting residents from drought and flooding is not simply one of many priorities; it is a guiding principle that shapes our programs, partnerships and long-term strategies. Understanding the second- and third-order effects of projects and development is crucial. The RRBC reminds partners of that in every meeting. We must work toward multi-benefit projects that build resilience, thereby enhancing protection and saving precious funds that might otherwise be spent on disaster response. It's important to be proactive and not reactive.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak.

[The Chair, Liberal, Angelo Iacono]

Thank you very much.

We'll turn now to the Conservative Party for six minutes.

Mr. Leslie.

[Branden Leslie, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I'd like to start with Ms. Trowell.

Thanks for the work you do as a commission. I'd like to start by asking what the biggest gap is in terms of how governments manage flooding across the Red River basin.

[Rebecca Trowell]

Specifically for the Red River basin, because the water flows from the U.S., it's hard to get funding for a project on the scale of the Red River basin; it uses both countries. The U.S. definitely has a lot more money and funding opportunities. Lots of times we have studies and reports done, and they're done on only the U.S. portion of the basin. They don't always flow past the border into Manitoba.

You do get information on what is happening in the U.S., and that is information we can use, but the study doesn't always continue past the border.

[Branden Leslie, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Thank you for that.

Despite the work you do as a joint commission, with representation on both sides of the border, are Canada and the United States working well enough together on that flood management, in your assessment? Given the work you have done on basin-wide plans for many years, are governments actually using that information in a way to effectively build flood infrastructure, whether it be physical or natural?

[Rebecca Trowell]

We definitely have a lot of collaboration across the border with our members, especially the provincial government with the state governments of North Dakota and Minnesota. That has been very helpful. As well, the Pembina Valley Water Cooperative, which, as you know, is the first major draw of water in Manitoba, supplies water to 14 municipalities. They said we have been crucial in their communication with the U.S. state governments, because whatever happens there affects them directly.

[Branden Leslie, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

They supply most of the water to most of the municipalities I represent, and Dale is doing an excellent job there.

In terms of what the U.S. side is doing, are more upstream water retention projects in the basin needed? What would spur them into action, particularly given that most of the basins are on the U.S. side?

[Rebecca Trowell]

This might be a better question for our executive director, but I will try to answer it.

The Fargo-Moorhead diversion is such a huge project. It is scheduled to be fully operational this year. They have the ability to hold lots of water in times of flood. There are lots of different pockets of water retention on that project, as well.

[Branden Leslie, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Looking specifically at Manitoba, what are the biggest flood risks in the aftermath of a large water retention project on that side of the border?

[Rebecca Trowell]

I'm sorry. Can you elaborate a little?

[Branden Leslie, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Is overland flooding more of a risk due to increasing storms, or is it increased capacity flowing through the Red River combined with the Assiniboine in Winnipeg? Obviously, there have been a number of projects done across the Prairies that have an impact on water that ultimately ends up in our basin.

[Rebecca Trowell]

Yes, it's mostly overland flooding, I would say. That increases when the Red River itself has increased flow from the U.S., then picks up more precipitation on the way. I would say that overland flooding would be the biggest flood risk to the basin.

[Branden Leslie, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

If you had to pick one project—it would probably have to be a big one—for which the federal government is a significant partner in funding.... What is the most significant way we could reduce flood risk in the most flood-prone areas of southern Manitoba?

[Rebecca Trowell]

I would say that it's anything that has a climate adaptation study to it. I don't know if I can point to a specific infrastructure project.

When municipalities have climate adaptation plans, and when the watershed districts have their IWMPs and are looking at things on a watershed or basin scale and incorporating information that will affect communities downstream or upstream from them, they're going to get the best protection against flooding and drought risk.

[Branden Leslie, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Thank you for that.

Do we have communities in that likely path of impact—or that have been impacted during previous high-water events—that are still building in areas that we know flood? Is this part of the information exchange you just mentioned but perhaps not being acted on appropriately?

[Rebecca Trowell]

I'm not entirely sure. I can't point to a specific municipality's policy on building or not building in high-risk areas.

[Branden Leslie, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

That's okay for now.

Based on the flood maps municipalities rely on today, what is your assessment of whether or not they are accurate enough?

[Rebecca Trowell]

I think the most important thing for flood maps is lidar data to measure the elevation.

[The Chair, Liberal, Angelo Iacono]

Mr. St‑Pierre, over to you for six minutes.

[Eric St-Pierre, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Mr. Chair, if you'll allow it, I'll share my time with the member for the fine riding of Fleetwood—Port Kells.

Mrs. Trowell, thanks for joining us today.

From a risk management perspective, can you comment on the role of nature-based solutions and whether NBS is considered core infrastructure, rather than secondary or supplementary?

[Rebecca Trowell]

I think it depends on who you ask, in terms of how they consider this.

We consider nature-based solutions to be the best solutions. When any type of infrastructure project is being instituted—water retention, wetland or anything—I think it's always best to rely on nature-based solutions. You'll get a better benefit-cost ratio for your project.

[Eric St-Pierre, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Primary, I guess, would be the—

[Rebecca Trowell]

Yes, sorry.

[Eric St-Pierre, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

No, that's fine.

Mr. Martin, thank you for joining us today. I'm really happy that you mentioned the Netherlands, which obviously has a lot of experience in certain sectors.

I'm curious if you could maybe speak to other G7 countries. From an international perspective, how would Canada's approach to federal support for flood insurance or insurance related to extreme weather events compare to other countries in the G7?

[Gary Martin]

I haven't spent a whole lot of time studying that. We've focused mostly on the Netherlands in our work over the past five years.

I know that in the Netherlands they don't have what we would understand as flood insurance. Their insurance is what their municipalities and their water boards, water authorities, and the three levels of government provide for them by way of protections from flooding. In some smaller municipalities that don't have dikes and don't have flood protection on the smaller rivers, they will have a form of overland flood insurance, but most of the country is not covered by flood insurance.