The RM of Victoria hopes a new partnership will provide some assistance with their future projects. The municipality recently decided to partner with Eco-West, and organization that works closely with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, to promote green initiatives and environmental protections. Reeve Harold Purkess says they discussed the partnership at a recent meeting, believing it could provide some additional funding for some of the work they have planned in the near future. He says one of those upcoming projects is the possible transition of their landfill to a transfer station.

"They're going to do an environmental assessment on basically our whole municipality. They're directly connected to the FCM, and through them, there are extra grants available."

Purkess says another possible project that could benefit from the partnership is the creation of new lagoons in Cypress River and Holland. The partnership came with a one-time cost of $5,000, and Purkess says it was an easy decision to move forward with the initiative, given the availability of additional funding for municipal projects. He suggests this partnership could see a strong return on investment, given the scope of the work they can assist with into the future.

"I think they can be of assistance in a lot of different projects. They're basically environmentally connected. Anything that's connected to the environment, drinking water, waste water, solid waste management, that's where they kind of specialize."

More than 21 Manitoba communities have become a part of Eco-West since its creation, including St. Francois Xavier, Stonewall, and the RM of Grey.