Keyword Drought

The prairies and its people are connected by the Lake Winnipeg Watershed, one of the largest drainage basins in the world. This dynamic system relies on the stability of weather patterns, which are being affected by the changing climate. Troubled Waters urges action to address strains on waterways, and emphasises the need for collaboration across borders. Everything is interrelated from upstream to downstream, let’s work to protect the treasured biodiversity that we all depend on.

In Bradwell, Saskatchewan harvest has become difficult as weather is often either too wet or too dry. Grain farmer Terry Boehm harvests his fields between rain and snow storms hoping to get some decent grain. The weather patterns his family have relied on for their livelihood for generations have changed. Across the prairies, farmers are having to adapt their farming practices to increasingly erratic weather.

Canada has some of the cleanest air on the planet.[1] But the truth is, many Canadians—especially in urban centres—are finding it more difficult to breathe easy. For example, instead of fresh spring air, the first day of Toronto’s 2019 spring break arrived with an air quality warning thanks to high levels of air pollution. In 2023, waves of air pollution passed through Canada during the summer surge of wildfires - impacting the health of many residents in large Canadian cities.[2][14]

In her work as Winnipeg’s City Forester, Martha Barwinsky talks to a lot of people about trees. “People love trees,” she laughs, saying that many people tell her “cool stories about trees: they remember this tree, and they climbed that tree, or their grandfather planted a tree and now they go and pick apples from it.”

Dr. Amber Fletcher grew up on a farm and has a strong appreciation for farmer knowledge and the importance of rural environments and communities. Now, as an academic at University of Regina, she studies how farmers are seeing and feeling the impacts of climate change in their fields and daily lives. She’s interested in the critical contributions that women make to farm life, especially during climate extremes such as floods and droughts.

Robin Tunnicliffe has farmed for almost 20 years, growing a wide range of organic vegetables for local restaurants and farmer’s markets. She remembers that “when I first started farming, my mentor gave me a list of planting dates.” This essential farmer-to-farmer teaching gave her confidence thanks to its hard-won wisdom, and she recalls thinking “Good! Now I know what I’m doing!” But she soon found that the lessons of tradition and experience were expiring, thanks in part to climate change.

Dendroclimatologist Dave Sauchyn studies tree rings to learn about climates of the past and what it means for the future. His research shows that there’s a “new normal” in the Canadian Prairies and that climate change is increasing the risk of extended and severe drought.

Roy McLaren has a lifetime of farming experience: he’s farmed in southwest Manitoba for over 70 years. He looks at the Climate Atlas maps of climate projections with concern. “That is pretty bad,” he says, looking at maps showing a huge increase in very hot weather. “With that kind of heat,” McLaren muses, “we’d have to change our farming methods. We’d have to adopt new crops.”