The Assiniboine River Basin Initiative is moving into year four of existence and the group wants to move forward with more projects.The Assiniboine River Basin Initiative is moving into year four of existence and the group wants to move forward with more projects.

ARBI is made up of members from Manitoba, Saskatchewan and North Dakota.

The Assiniboine River Basin Initiative is an organization of stakeholders who live and/or operate in the basin, from Canada and the United States, in the geographic area encompassing parts of Manitoba, North Dakota, and Saskatchewan.

ARBI's stakeholders include citizens, local governments, provincial and state governments, business, non-governmental groups (such as conservation groups, the oil and gas industry, agriculture, and academia), and any other groups/stakeholders that want to help shape the future direction of the basin through cooperation and working together.

The ARBI's mission is to create“A resilient Assiniboine River Basin where all residents can adapt to change and achieve environmental, social, and economic sustainability through collaborative actions across the basin.”

“We formed about four years ago and it took a couple of years to get organized so now we are hoping to get some initiatives underway,” said executive director Wanda McFadyen.

McFadyen says a number of local groups already do great work in their areas. “We are more of a group to make sure that work happens at a trans-boundary level.”

She adds they don’t have the power to control water flow but they do try to bring people together and act almost as a mediator.