Public hearing at Bifrost-Riverton council office in Arborg this Thursday at 9 a.m.
A resident who lives in the Municipality of Bifrost-Riverton is raising concerns about a proposed residential development that’s to be built along Finns Road about 100 feet from Lake Winnipeg.
Glenda Whiteman lives close to the proposed new subdivision. She said she’s not against “progress,” but from an environmental perspective is concerned that the proposal is “not a good plan” given the vulnerable nature of the area.
There’s some bush, small trees and a bit of beach running along the lakeside section of this development and the other side is swampy.
“Behind [the beach and bush] is wetland. It’s a swamp. It’s not farmed up to the [proposed subdivision area] because it’s a swampy area,” said Whiteman. “A lot of endangered [migratory] birds have nesting grounds north of us, beyond Hecla, and they need places to stop on the way there. If I’m not mistaken, all these wetlands that are being taken away in riparian areas of the lake are really vital for the ecosystem.”
The proposed development is nestled between Lake Winnipeg and PR 222. Access into the project would be from Finns Road (Road 126 N). The land is located at Pt. SE ¼ Section 4-22-4 EPM, Roll No. 82200. It’s adjacent to a “residual” parcel of land that has a travel trailer and some farm buildings on it, according to the East Interlake Planning District’s application package.
The developer, who is not named in the application package, would like to build 17 residential lots and a separate lot for parking. Each residential lot would have a well and a holding tank for human waste. The developer is also proposing to build an access road from Finns Road that will run parallel to each lot.
The developer is asking Bifrost-Riverton council to consider rezoning the section from an agricultural limited zone to a recreation residential zone as a preliminary step to building the development.
Council already passed first reading of Bylaw No. 09-2025 – which will amend its zoning bylaw – on July 10. Council would have to pass second and third reading of the new bylaw to approve the developer’s rezoning request.
Whiteman said she received notice about a week or so before the hearing and has not had a chance to get all the details about the project. She’s not sure whether fill material will be required for the swampy section.
In general, people who live along the lake can be subjected to environmental hazards that can affect their economic wellbeing, she said.
“This is the other part of it: people are spending a fortune for big swanky houses along the lake and they get flooded,” she said. “But they [developers] are just going to keep building more houses that ruin the environment, fill in swamps and give people lousy homes.”
Along the lake south of Finns, for instance, people have been repeatedly flooded as the shoreline is vulnerable to high water events on Lake Winnipeg, she said.
The Express reached out to the Municipality of Bifrost-Riverton requesting the contact information of the developer and asking whether fill material would have to be brought in to the development. There was no response by deadline.
The Express also contacted the East Interlake Watershed District and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society for comment on shoreline developments but didn’t receive a response.
The public hearing on the proposed 18-lot development will be held on Sept. 11 at 9 a.m. in the Municipality of Bifrost-Riverton’s administration building at 329 River Rd. in Arborg.
