Manitoba invests $220 million in parks infrastructure

WINNIPEG — The Government of Manitoba is putting $220 million into a multi-year investment plan for the province’s parks infrastructure.

As part of the Manitoba Provincial Parks Infrastructure Renewal Strategy, campers will see a 50 per cent increase in yurts, more campsites with electrical service and enhanced interactive experiences, a Government of Manitoba release stated.

The strategy will consist of two streams with $121 million going to parks infrastructure and $103 million in roadway renewal within and around provincial parks over the next 10 years.

Highlights of the plan include:

Whiteshell Provincial Park: replacement of the Nutimik Museum, reconstruction of the West Hawk Lake seawall, Mantario Trail amenity upgrades, surface upgrades to the Trans-Canada Highway at the Manitoba-Ontario border, and structure rehabilitation on the Trans-Canada Highway at Provincial Road (PR) 301 Falcon Lake Access, PR 301 Overpass Falcon Lake Road, and Provincial Trunk Highway (PTH) 44 at West Hawk Lake.
Spruce Woods Provincial Park: A new campground bay development, group use campsite electrification, surface upgrades to PTH 5 from PTH 2 to 15 kilometres north of PTH 2.
Birds Hill Provincial Park: Fox Bay campsite upgrades, Lakeview Trail upgrades.
Hecla/Grindstone Provincial Park: Gull Harbour campsite electrification, minor structure rehabilitation on PTH 8 at the Hecla causeway.
Asessippi Provincial Park: new yurt village, upgrades to PR 482 leading to park entrance.
Bakers Narrows Provincial Park: new energy and water-efficient washroom and shower building at campground.
Duck Mountain Provincial Park: yurt expansion at Childs Lake, culvert replacement on PR 367 at Garland Creek.
Grand Beach Provincial Park: East Beach washroom replacement.
Paint Lake Provincial Park: campground washroom building replacement, wastewater lagoon assessment and upgrade, surface upgrades to PR 375 from PTH 6.

The Manitoba government is also investing almost $200 million to restore and rehabilitate provincial infrastructure during the spring 2022 flood, and projects in and surrounding provincial parks include:

Manigotagan River bridge on PR 314 in Nopiming Provincial Park.
Two bridge projects over Rice Creek on PR 315 (east of Lac du Bonnet and south of Nopiming Provincial Park) and on PR 313 (east of Lac du Bonnet and west of north Whiteshell at Pointe du Bois).
Bridge-sized culverts west of Favel River and Roaring River on PR 367 (north of Duck Mountain Provincial Park) and restoration on both PR 366 and PR 367 in Duck Mountain Provincial Park.
Whitemouth River bridge on PR 307 (west of Whiteshell Provincial Park).
Bridge replacement at Drunken River near Silver Harbour (north of Gimli).
Structure replacement at Boundary Creek through Prospect Road at Winnipeg Beach.

The Manitoba Provincial Parks Infrastructure Renewal Strategy and a list of projects is available here.