Some good news for several rural municipalities with ag producers who irrigate their fields using water from three rivers -- the Mill Creek, Lasalle, and Elm River.

A provincial program to pump water for irrigation from the Assiniboine River's going to continue.

The RMs of Cartier, Portage la Prairie, and MacDonald met with Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler, Ag Minister Ralph Eichler, and Portage MLA Ian Wishart on Tuesday, and heard the government's reversed their plan to hand off the pumping to municipalities or producers.

Cartier Reeve Dale Fossay's pleased.

Dale Fossay

"The province has put a high priority on promoting diversification of agriculture," he says, "Certainly, they see this area along these tributaries as being prime areas where vegetables can be grown, and then taken to Portage or wherever for processing. The minister of agriculture spoke very strongly in favour of continuing this program."

Fossay's relieved by the decision.

"Down the streams, close to Portage and St. Eustache, some of Manitoba's largest vegetable growers, who irrigate a lot," he says, "Strawberry growers, some large livestock operations, plus as you get closer to Winnipeg, there are three golf courses that all use irrigation, so it's a huge economic impact."