‘None of us were enamoured’: Winnipeg River Planning District proposes to lift moratorium on Bird River development

A proposed development plan in the Bird River area is raising concerns from residents. Harrison Shin reports.

Cottage owners on the Bird River say they are frustrated by a new plan to lift a moratorium on new development in their region.

According to a new proposal developed by the Winnipeg River Planning District, expansion could include up to 20 to 30 lots or a maximum of 600 acres. It also states, “The expansion of existing or establishment of new cottage and rural residential areas should generally be discouraged.”

The proposal seeks to replace a bylaw passed in 2011 by the district—which includes Powerview-Pine Falls and the Rural Municipality of Alexander—that banned any further development on the Bird River due to concerns about boat traffic.

“Every time you add another cottage property, you’re probably adding at least two to three water vessels. It’s a narrow river and it carries a lot of traffic. The development plans in the past have said that we’re over capacity,” said Hank Krueger, vice president of the Bird River Cottage Owners Association.

The newly proposed bylaw no. 83/25 is posted to the Town of Powerview-Pine Falls’ website, from its notice of public hearing and was presented to the public on Sept. 11.

During the meeting, consultants with CVLNS, a planning company hired by the district, said, “The moratorium on the Bird River which was intended to mitigate boat traffic”—and it was “not working as intended” with the ban in place.

Krueger said current owners like him have already noticed the impact of heavy boat traffic and fear more development will lead to more impacts.

“Part of the problem is, back when we first settled here, a cottage might have one fishing boat. Now, with some of the big mansions going up, they’ll have a fishing boat, a powerboat, a couple of jet skis and a pontoon,” Krueger explained.

CTV News reached out to the Winnipeg River Planning District chair and he declined to provide a statement. The CAO of the RM of Alexander is on vacation, according to an outgoing voicemail, and the assistant CAO wrote in an email that the administration is “not available to speak with the media.”

CVLNS, the consultancy company that presented the plan, told CTV News by email that their client “has asked us to politely decline comment.”

Historical ban placed to control boat traffic

The ban on Bird River development has been in place since a 1977 assessment, according to a 2011 Winnipeg River Planning District Development Plan.

Section 5.3, paragraph 4 states that the recreational capacity of the Bird River area had reached its capacity and exceeded its carrying capacity threshold due to the density of cottage development along the river. This result was drawn after a “comprehensive review of the recreational potential of the river” was completed.

According to the same paragraph, another assessment of the carrying capacity of the river was done between 2007 and 2008. The assessment concluded with the reiteration that “existing cottage densities had exceeded the recreational carrying capacity of the waterway.”

The paragraph concluded that no further development shall be approved along the Bird River.

Now, the new proposed bylaw would allow new development on up to 600 acres and require a minimum of 20-acre allotments. It also proposes swapping some areas now designated as natural resource areas to rural residential areas and vice versa.

Krueger said current residents are not happy about the lifting of the ban.

“All the development that’s taken place over the last 20 years is the main driver of the number of boats that are on the water. The only way to address that is by leaving the moratorium in place.”

According to the presentation, the proposed bylaw had its first reading on July 15, 2025, and was subjected to a provincial review in August 2025. It still needs to pass a number of stages, including a second reading, ministerial approval, and a third reading, finally leading to adoption.

All formal objections must be filed with the province within 14 days of notice of the second reading, which has not yet been determined. The date will be emailed to residents by the RM of Alexander, according to the public presentation.