Hon. Glen Cummings (Minister of Natural Resources): Madam Speaker, I have a statement for the House and have copies.

As I reported yesterday, we have had heavy rain last week and more heavy rains this week, continuing to create flooding conditions in the Souris River watershed. Due to these conditions, we have localized flooding that is redeveloping in several areas. Several more areas received heavy rain last week and again last night, exacerbating the problems.

The forecast for the Souris River is unchanged from yesterday and calls for crests at a foot lower than levels in mid-April. However, if heavy additional precipitation develops, forecasts will need to be revised upwards. Since yesterday the Souris River rose a third of a foot at Melita and Napinka but remained relatively unchanged from Hartney to Wawanesa. The river is expected to crest at Melita between May 17 and 21. Gradual but steady rises are expected for the next 10 days.

A temporary dike is being constructed along Provincial Trunk Highway 3 after being taken down about three weeks ago following the last crest. It is anticipated the river will crest approximately within one foot of last month's peak. With the heavy rains over the last week, Madam Speaker, there is the possibility of flooding in some low-lying areas along the Assiniboine River between Portage la Prairie and Headingley. This is where the cumulative impacts begin to be felt, because flows in this area will be increased from 7,000 cfs to 8,000 cfs in order to reduce inflows into Lake Manitoba. Flows from the Portage diversion have increased due to heavy rains, and outflows from Lake Manitoba will be increased from 4,400 cfs to 7,500 cfs to prevent this lake rising to excessive levels.

Farmers across Manitoba and particularly in the southwestern part of the province are eagerly waiting for the rains to stop so that they can return to their fields, and certainly we share their concern.

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Ms. Rosann Wowchuk (Swan River): Madam Speaker, I want to thank the minister for bringing this information to the House and bringing us up to date as to what is happening along the Souris River. We hope that the weather pattern will change so that indeed the flooding that is forecast will not actually happen.

We also realize that this is an ongoing problem with flooding in many parts of the province, and we encourage the government when this situation is finished that we look at some long-term solutions in many of the areas where this continues to be an ongoing problem, not only in the southwest part of the province but in many parts of the province. For example, in the Swan River area we are experiencing the same things, where every time there is a heavy rain there is flooding onto farmland, and it is a problem that must be addressed.

I want to say that all of us on this side of the House hope that the weather will change very soon and farmers can get on to seeding and putting the crop in the ground, a very important part of the economy in this province. When we look at the flows going into the Portage diversion, with the increased heavy rains we are concerned as well at what the implications will be in the Interlake region. We recall that the last time there were high waters, many people along the Lake Manitoba area suffered because of the high level of water. Around the Fairford area there were people who suffered, so I would hope that the government would realize that there are going to be problems down the road in those areas, and they are going to have to deal with them as well.