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This report details a five-year study (2019-2023) of the De Salaberry water retention project in southeastern Manitoba, examining how a small, naturalized dam affects phosphorus reduction to combat eutrophication and harmful algal blooms in Canadian freshwater systems.

This executive summary describes a spatial targeting strategy developed by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) to optimize the placement of water retention projects, such as wetlands and small naturalized dams, to reduce phosphorus loading in Canadian Prairie watersheds.

This fact sheet describes the geological, soil, and land cover characteristics of the lower Winnipeg River basin (LWRB), noting its dominance by forested land and Precambrian bedrock.

This fact sheet describes the hydrology of the lower Winnipeg River basin (LWRB), focusing on river discharge, water levels, and the role of hydroelectric generating stations. It provides historical discharge data, climate projections for the 2050s, and discusses the river's contribution to Lake Winnipeg's water volume and nutrient loading.

This report describes the International Institute for Sustainable Development's (IISD) work in the Lake Winnipeg watershed to harvest sustainable wetland biomass, such as cattails, to reduce nutrient loading, improve habitats, and generate carbon offsets through the circular bioeconomy.

This report applies the Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) methodology to two infrastructure assets in Manitoba, Canada: Stephenfield Reservoir (a built asset) and Pelly’s Lake (a natural wetland). The study quantifies the economic value of the ecosystem and infrastructure services they provide and compares these to the costs of replacing those services with grey infrastructure. The findings demonstrate that both natural and naturalized built assets are significantly more cost-effective than traditional grey infrastructure for water storage, irrigation, and nutrient removal.

The IISD briefing identifies three environmental 'hotspots' in Manitoba—the Southwest Red River Valley (high fertilizer use), Southwestern Manitoba (high conservation tillage), and the Southeast Red River Valley (unincorporated manure)—where targeted investments in natural infrastructure and beneficial management practices can most effectively improve water quality and reduce nutrient runoff into Lake Winnipeg.

A brochure by the Lake Winnipeg Foundation and IISD proposing a $5 million interim retrofit for Winnipeg's North End Water Pollution Control Centre to reduce phosphorus loading into Lake Winnipeg by 70%, as a faster alternative to a planned $1.8 billion full upgrade.

This report summarizes a 2018 forum on advancing natural infrastructure (NI) in Canada. It highlights the economic value of NI in mitigating climate risks, such as flooding, and identifies critical barriers to its implementation, including restrictive public sector accounting standards and funding gaps in federal programs like the ICIP and DMAF. The report recommends adopting natural asset accounting, utilizing green and resilience bonds, and creating dedicated federal NI funding to complement traditional grey infrastructure.

This case study research analyzes six water quality trading and offset programs across Canada, the United States, and New Zealand to identify policy and program mechanisms for reducing nutrient and contaminant loading, specifically phosphorus and nitrogen, with a view toward application in Manitoba.

This report explores how fintech technologies—IoT, big data, AI, and blockchain—can be applied to ecosystem management to address complex environmental issues like toxic algal blooms. It argues that while these tools are mature in the financial sector, their adoption in environmental science is slowed by cultural barriers to data sharing. The author suggests that integrating these technologies can lead to 'authoritative open data' and more predictive, real-time environmental management.

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) provides recommendations to enhance the Province of Manitoba's proposed watershed-based policy framework, emphasizing the need for geographic targeting, robust evaluation frameworks, and the pursuit of net gains in ecological goods and services.

This briefing from the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) provides recommendations to strengthen Manitoba's proposed watershed-based policy framework, which consists of three programs: GRowing Outcomes in Watersheds (GROW), Watershed-based Drainage and Water Resource Management, and the Modernizing Manitoba’s Conservation District Program.

This executive summary, published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) in June 2017, synthesizes existing studies to estimate the economic and health costs of pollution in Canada. It highlights that while some pollutants like urban smog are well-documented, significant data gaps exist for others, such as persistent organic pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions, meaning the total annual costs likely reach tens of billions of dollars.

This fact sheet by the International Institute for Sustainable Development explains the nature of zebra mussels, their spread into Manitoba, and their potential ecological and infrastructural impacts on Lake Winnipeg.

This fact sheet from the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) describes 'Smart-Sourced Fuel Products,' which are eco-friendly heating fuels created from under-utilized and waste plant materials in Manitoba, Canada. The document outlines the environmental and economic benefits of these biomass products, compares cattail-based fuels to conventional wood, and estimates the available biomass supply in the region to support a bioenergy industry.

This fact sheet from the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) describes 'smart-sourced fuels' (combustibles ingénieux) in Manitoba, Canada. These eco-friendly fuels are produced from underutilized local materials and waste, such as agricultural residues and wetland plants, to provide a sustainable heating alternative for residential, agricultural, industrial, and commercial use.

This report analyzes the cumulative environmental impacts of expanding peat mining in Manitoba's Interlake. It finds that nutrient loading into Lake Winnipeg from these operations represents a small proportion of yearly loads, with phosphorus and nitrogen limits of 12 tonnes P yr-1 and 449 tonnes N yr-1 for all Manitoba lease holdings. Greenhouse gas emissions from land-use change are estimated to not exceed 0.4 million tonnes CO2e yr-1 for all current lease holdings within the province.

This report details a 2009 survey of cattail biomass and nutrient levels in the Netley-Libau Marsh to understand its role in reducing nutrient loading into Lake Winnipeg. It finds that phosphorus levels in the marsh significantly exceed provincial guidelines and estimates the potential for increased nutrient storage through plant restoration.

This submission to the Manitoba Clean Environment Commission advocates for a strategic, integrated whole-basin management approach for the Lake Winnipeg and Nelson River basins to address climate change, nutrient loading, and water regulation.