Steinbach City Council · Sept 2025 – Sept 2026

Sewer backups: what council said, and how Steinbach compares

After sewage backed up into hundreds of basements in September 2024 and again in September 2025, what has council committed to? What reasons has it given for not going further? And is it doing as much as other cities?

Quotes come from transcripts of the meeting videos, and each links to its timestamp on YouTube. The comparison uses published municipal programs and design standards. Last updated Oct 13, 2026 (climate plan status corrected).

Bottom line

On big pipes and pumps, Steinbach is doing well. It is doubling Lift Station 1's capacity, twinning the force main and replacing the Millwork Drive main. More than $20 million is budgeted for wastewater in 2026, with no mill-rate increase. Most of this was planned in 2022, before the floods.
On helping homeowners directly, it is behind its peers. Brandon, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa and Edmonton subsidize backwater valves and sump pumps. No Steinbach program was found in public sources, and none came up in a year of council meetings.
On finding the cause, it is behind. Sewage backing up in heavy rain means rainwater is getting into the sanitary sewer. Steinbach has not published a study of where that water enters the Georgetown system.
On compensation, it is in line with its peers. Canadian cities rarely pay for backups outside insurance or negligence claims. Steinbach pressed the province for disaster aid twice. Homeowners are now suing.

Part 1 · The council record

What council is doing

The promise, four days after the 2025 storm

“We'll leave no stone unturned to see what we can do to make this work… We don't know what we don't know, but we have to find that out.”

Mayor Earl Funk · Sept 16, 2025 · 0:04:06

The plan, as the City Manager laid it out at the budget hearing

“prior to the storm events occurring in both 2024 and 2025, City Council had directed administration to place 3 significant projects on its long-term capital plan, and those were already on that plan beginning in 2022.”

Troy Warkentin, City Manager · Mar 17, 2026 · 0:17:48

The three core projects, together “about $8 to $9 million”:

Sewer main

Millwork Drive replacement

Force main

Park Road West twinning

Lift Station 1

“essentially the doubling of pumping capacity”

New items added after the floods:

a review of the sump pump bylaw, with inspections of “private property sewer, sump pit, and septic tank installations”
rerouting the Clear Spring Greens low-pressure sewer so it no longer discharges into the Golfview Crescent line

He described several other ideas only as projects “that could be looked at in the future”: a drainage master plan, a basement-depth policy, a drain bypass or detention plan, and flow sensors.

Council's framing

“we went in with the promise that we were going to do projects that were going to mitigate floodwater mitigation and sewer backup in our community. And this is a budget that delivers on that promise.”

Mayor Earl Funk · Mar 17, 2026 · 0:29:41

“the largest focus in this budget is the renewal of our wastewater system, with over $20 million budgeted for wastewater renewal and new infrastructure.”

Councillor Damian Penner · Mar 17, 2026 · 0:38:22

“This pipe was installed in 1965, is near the end of its life… it will have more capacity.”

Councillor Michael Zwaagstra, on the Millwork Drive pipe · Mar 3, 2026 · 0:14:44

Follow-through

Date	Action
Mar 17, 2026	Lift Station 1 upgrade tender awarded
Jul 21, 2026	Clear Spring Greens reroute tender awarded, $396,500 against an estimate of $614,000
Aug 4, 2026	Land Drainage Bylaw 2274 passed, replacing the sump pump bylaw

“gives the city additional abilities to inspect properties… that sump pumps are going in the way that they're supposed to… it's not the city's intent to unnecessarily penalize homeowners that want to add sewer backup protection.”

Councillor Michael Zwaagstra, on Bylaw 2274 · Aug 4, 2026 · 1:21:34

Their reasons for not doing more

1The storms were beyond what any system is built for

“the rainfall intensity and volume exceeded a 1-in-100-year storm event, which is far beyond the reasonable planning level for underground pipes.”

Troy Warkentin, City Manager · Sept 16, 2025 · 0:45:27

“It is a combination of reasonable cost implications measured against what is the average… No city in the world has designed a system that is absolutely foolproof.”

Troy Warkentin, City Manager, on design standards · Jul 21, 2026 · 0:49:34

“there is no municipality… that actually can prepare for a 1 in 125 rain event… Nothing will be perfect.”

Mayor Earl Funk · Jul 21, 2026 · 1:09:59

Context

Residents dispute the “outlier” framing. M.R.'s door-to-door survey of 83 Georgetown homes found 47% backed up in 2024 and 69% in 2025, and some homes have backed up five times since 2002. One councillor made the same point herself:

“We can say that these 2 rain events were outliers, but the fact is many people on my street have flooded multiple times… Not in the 5-year plan, not in the 10-year plan, but now.”

Councillor Susan Penner · Sept 16, 2025 · opening

See also Finding 2: how this argument holds up against design standards.

2Sewer worries are not grounds to block development

This came up at the July 21, 2026 hearing on a six-storey seniors building (Bridgepark Manor).

“this is not part of the Georgetown catchment area… We can't say no to a development that happens to be nearby because of what happened in a different area.”

Councillor Michael Zwaagstra · Jul 21, 2026 · 0:54:01

“We can't stop developing the city in perpetuity until we've satisfied the timeline of whatever it arbitrarily may be that residents start to— are feeling, feeling okay with it.”

Councillor Damian Penner · Jul 21, 2026 · 1:01:16

“These things aren't one or the other. It's both.”

Councillor Susan Penner · Jul 21, 2026 · 0:59:04

“The sewer system is designed to accept the sewer and the growth we're having.”

Resident: “It hasn't yet, right?”

“this is not the issue. We're not looking at that. We're looking at the 2 variances.”

Mayor Earl Funk, answering a resident · Jul 21, 2026 · 0:42:58

Context

Zwaagstra noted the lot is already zoned for three storeys, so only height and parking were legally in play. The motion carried; Jac Siemens voted against, citing height, not sewer capacity.

3Compensation is the province's job

“What is the city going to do about compensation to homeowners who have experienced damages and losses over and over due to sewer backup?”

M.R., resident, delegation to council · Oct 21, 2025 · 0:18:19

No one answered that question at the meeting. After that, council only lobbied the province for Disaster Financial Assistance (DFA).

“it really does come down to looking like a political decision rather than one based on actual evidence.”

Councillor Michael Zwaagstra, on the province's DFA criteria · Apr 21, 2026 · 0:38:19

“And you know what? We accepted that. We rebuilt, and we moved on.”

Mayor Earl Funk, recounting Premier Kinew telling Steinbach to “get better insurance brokers” · Jun 16, 2026 · 0:53:24

Context

A search of every transcript for compensation, subsidies, rebates and backwater-valve programs found no on-the-record discussion of a city-funded program. The November 2025 study session where the flood plan was drafted wasn't recorded, so this covers public meetings only.

4Part of the problem is on private property

“overland flows through windows, infiltration from basement floor drains, failure of wastewater backup prevention devices, inadequate sump pump capacity…”

Troy Warkentin, City Manager, listing possible causes · Sept 16, 2025 · 0:41:04

“City of Steinbach did some improvements. Homeowners did some improvements and they haven't had problems since.”

Mayor Earl Funk, on an earlier neighbourhood fix · Oct 21, 2025 · 0:31:40

Context

M.R. said a plumber verified her backwater valve was working while sewage came in. She told council: “If the city suggests that the 4 times the normal amount of sewage might be due to households pumping their sump pumps into the sewer, then we need proof.”

5No root-cause study or independent review

“was an initiative that was entirely council-initiated. It wasn't due to any particular study or analysis.”

Troy Warkentin, City Manager, on the Clear Spring Greens reroute · Mar 17, 2026 · 0:34:25

Mayor Funk added: “as council discussed it, it kind of made sense.” M.R. replied: “We worry that that might not be the root cause.”

“The primary focus of the flood mitigation strategy, at least for 2026, includes mostly capital projects that had already been initiated well prior to this year.”

Troy Warkentin, City Manager · Apr 7, 2026 · 1:03:28

“It'll help, it'll facilitate more growth.”

Mayor Earl Funk, on the force main twinning · Feb 17, 2026 · 0:29:08

Context

The mayor's remark echoes residents' worry that the big projects are mainly for growth.
When M.R. asked for third-party review of developers' servicing studies, Warkentin said those consultants are “under contract with the developer or landowner” (Jul 21, 2026). Council made no commitment to independent review.
The climate risk assessment, promised for spring 2026, was presented to council on Aug 18, 2026. It names heavy rain overwhelming wastewater and drainage as a top risk and sets out phases from 2026 to 2036, but it is described as a roadmap, not a commitment, and had not been adopted (SteinbachOnline).

6It's already fast

“in government terms, this is lightning speed.”

Councillor Michael Zwaagstra · Mar 17, 2026 · 0:44:52

Part 2 · How Steinbach compares

Scorecard

How Steinbach's response measures up against what other Canadian municipalities do about sewer backups.

Strong ahead of or matching good practice On par typical practice Partial started, with gaps Gap common elsewhere, not done here

Measure	Steinbach	What others do	Rating
Add sewer capacity	Lift Station 1 capacity doubled, force main twinned, Millwork Drive main replaced (about $8–9M). Over $20M for wastewater in the 2026 budget.	Standard response. Steinbach's pace and debt-free funding stand out.	Strong
Fix the hardest-hit area	Rerouting the Clear Spring Greens line away from Golfview Crescent ($396,500). Council approved it without an engineering study.	Targeted fixes usually follow flow monitoring of the affected area.	Partial
Find where rainwater gets in	Routine camera inspection of sewers (about $100K a year). No published study of the Georgetown system. Flow sensors listed only as a future idea.	Flow monitoring plus smoke and dye testing of the problem area, e.g. London's street-level pilot.	Gap
Subsidize backwater valves and sump pumps	No program found.	Brandon 75% (up to $4,000); Toronto 80% (up to $6,650); Winnipeg 60% (up to $3,000); Ottawa; Edmonton; Strathcona County.	Gap
Keep sump pumps out of the sewer	Sump pump bylaw since 2003. New Bylaw 2274 (Aug 2026) adds inspections and fines, with exemptions for older homes.	Enforcement is usually paired with funding to disconnect, e.g. Halton 100% up to $6,500; Southwest Middlesex 100%.	Partial
Home flood-risk checks	None offered.	Toronto subsidizes a plumbing assessment (up to $500); Edmonton's utility has run flood prevention inspections.	Gap
Financial relief after floods	Applied for provincial disaster aid twice, pushed back when denied, and asked for the files to be reopened. No city fund.	Cities rarely compensate outside insurance or negligence claims.	On par
Public reporting	Published a storm memo and started storm-damage mapping. The climate risk assessment arrived in August 2026, months late, and hadn't been adopted.	Studies and flood plans are typically presented and posted publicly.	Partial
Reviewing new development	Developers' consultants submit plans for city review. Council declined independent third-party review.	Standard practice in most cities.	On par

Key findings

1Capital work is strong, but mostly pre-planned

Steinbach is building the right kind of projects, and tenders are coming in under estimate. But the core three were on the capital plan before either flood (Reason 5). Bigger lift-station capacity helps everyone downstream. It does not by itself stop rainwater from getting into a 1988 neighbourhood line.

2The “1-in-100-year storm” argument only partly holds

Council's main reason for not doing more is that no system is built for storms this big (Reason 1). That is partly right:

Storm pipes are typically sized for a 1-in-5-year storm. Lethbridge, Markham, Fort Erie and Nanaimo all use this standard.
The overland system (streets, ponds, ditches) is expected to carry a 1-in-100-year storm. Lethbridge's standard says it “shall safely handle a one in 100 year event without causing flooding of private property or erosion damage.” That rule applies to new developments, and older areas like Georgetown were not built to it.
The sanitary sewer is meant to carry no rainwater at all. The City Manager said so himself, and the system was built as a closed system. When sewage backs up during rain, the usual cause is rainwater getting into it through sump pumps, weeping tile, leaky pipes and open manholes.

So a record storm explains overland flooding. It doesn't fully explain repeated sewage backups in one neighbourhood. Residents report Georgetown has had them in 2002, 2014, 2019, 2024 and 2025. That pattern points to a problem specific to that system, which is what residents asked council to investigate.

3Homeowner subsidies: the clearest gap

Backwater valves and sump pumps are widely seen as the most cost-effective protection against sewer backup. Most mid-size and large Canadian cities help pay for them. Several raised their support after major storms.

Municipality	Program	Maximum
Brandon, MB	75% of cost for existing homes. Retroactive to work done since Jan 2020. Open in 2026.	$2,500 sump + $1,500 valve
Winnipeg, MB	60% of cost, launched 2011 with provincial cost-sharing (current terms unverified).	$3,000
Toronto, ON	80% of cost. Nearly doubled in 2026 after the 2024 storms; adds a home plumbing assessment.	$6,650
Ottawa, ON	Residential Protective Plumbing Program: rebates for valves and sump pumps, plus 100% of permit fees.	varies
Strathcona County, AB	50% of cost for pre-1989 homes.	$1,200
Edmonton, AB (EPCOR)	Valve subsidy for older or previously flooded homes.	$800
Steinbach, MB	No program found	—

Context

Many Georgetown homes already have backwater valves, and residents say sewage still came in. A subsidy alone would not fix their problem, but it would help the rest of the city. Steinbach's 2026 sewer tenders came in roughly $1.8 million under estimate: about $0.7M on Millwork Drive, $0.9M on the force main and $0.2M on the reroute. A Brandon-style program for a few hundred homes would cost a fraction of that. This is a rough illustration, not a costed proposal.

4Sump pump enforcement arrived late, and without help

Steinbach has banned sump pumps draining into the sewer since 2003. The new 2026 bylaw finally adds inspections and fines, and council was careful not to penalize older homes. Elsewhere, enforcement usually comes with money to do the work: Halton Region covers 100% of exterior disconnection up to $6,500, and Southwest Middlesex covers 100% of sump disconnection. The homeowners' lawsuit claims the city knew about illegal connections by 2015 but relied on “education and self-regulation.” That claim is unproven.

5No study of the cause, and studies promised but not shown

Residents repeatedly asked why Georgetown backs up, and the reroute went ahead without a study (Reason 5). Flow sensors and a drainage master plan were listed only as “could be looked at in the future.” Measuring flows in the affected sewers before and after a fix is how most cities tell whether it worked.

6Compensation: normal practice, now in court

Canadian cities generally don't pay for sewer backups unless they are found negligent. Steinbach's choice to press the province for disaster aid is the usual route (Reason 3). Council did more than most here, passing two resolutions and challenging the Premier publicly. Homeowners filed suit in Manitoba's Court of King's Bench on Aug 13, 2026, alleging negligence and nuisance. SteinbachOnline reports 13 plaintiffs; CTV reports 22. The claims include late activation of the auxiliary pumps and new subdivisions tied into a strained line. None of this has been proven, and the suit hasn't come up in any recorded council meeting.

What “doing all it can” would add

Based on what peer cities do, these are the steps Steinbach hasn't taken, roughly from cheapest to most involved:

A backwater valve and sump pump subsidy modelled on Brandon's, retroactive to the 2024 flood.
Funded sump pump and weeping-tile disconnection alongside the new bylaw's inspections.
Flow monitoring and smoke and dye testing of the Georgetown system, with results made public. This would also show whether the reroute worked.
Adopting and publishing the climate risk assessment, with a written flood plan and dates.
An independent engineering review of why Georgetown backs up, which residents have asked for since October 2025.

About this page

Transcripts. Quotes come from automatic transcripts of the official meeting videos, so some names are misspelled in the source (“Gulfview”). The transcription often misspells the city's name; quotes show it correctly as Steinbach. Every quote links to its moment in the video; check there before quoting it elsewhere.
Speakers. Speakers were identified by hand from how they are addressed in each meeting. Every quote here is from a speaker identified with high confidence. Council members and city staff are named; residents are identified by their initials.
Edits. Ellipses mark trimmed text. One sentence break (“improvements. Homeowners”) was added for readability.
Coverage. Meetings from September 2025 through September 2026 were read closely. Sewer mentions in 2022–2024 look like routine tenders, but were only skimmed. Council's November 2025 flood study session wasn't recorded.
Peer programs. Amounts come from municipal websites and news releases and change often. Winnipeg's current terms and Ottawa's exact amounts couldn't be confirmed. “No program found” for Steinbach means none turned up in web searches or council transcripts. It is unclear whether Steinbach joined Manitoba's 2011–2015 cost-shared subsidy.
Lawsuit. Details come from news reports, not the court filing. The allegations are unproven, and the case may limit what council says in public.

Sources

Council meetings (official YouTube recordings): Sept 16, 2025 · Oct 21, 2025 · Jan 20, 2026 · Feb 17, 2026 · Mar 3, 2026 · Mar 17, 2026 · Apr 7, 2026 · Apr 21, 2026 · Jun 16, 2026 · Jul 21, 2026 · Aug 4, 2026