Supporting the life-sustaining mission of Lake Winnipeg Foundation

In celebration of our 20th anniversary – and more specifically, two decades of community support – Payworks is honoured to announce a series of donations to several highly-deserving and impactful Manitoba-based not-for-profit organizations, in addition to maintaining our ongoing national charitable partnerships. To learn more about this commitment, please click here!

Manitoba is home to a diverse bounty of natural wonders, from boreal forests and arctic tundra to 92 provincial parks and 100,000+ lakes. In fact, one of these lakes is the 10th-largest freshwater lake in the world!

Lake Winnipeg is not only a life-giving source of food, water and hydroelectric power; with over seven million people in its watershed, it’s also a beloved hub for living, working and recreation. And for more than 15 years, Lake Winnipeg Foundation (LWF) has been advocating for change and coordinating action to protect and restore the lake’s health.

Uniquely positioned to translate science into solutions, LWF’s Lake Winnipeg Health Plan is a set of eight evidence-based actions to address the root causes of algae blooms. These include “keeping water on the land, conserving the boreal forest, setting the standard for wastewater treatment, monitoring our waterways, managing our shorelines, promoting agricultural water stewardship, investing in a clean water economy and taking responsibility.”

Victoria Beach; Photo: Jeope Wolfe, courtesy of the Lake Winnipeg Foundation.

Even before formally establishing our Green Perspective many years ago, Payworks has long acknowledged the crucial role of the private sector in supporting the urgent preservation of our shared environment. As such, we’re pleased to donate $100,000 to LWF and their critical initiatives as part of our 20th anniversary donation series.

“Payworks’ gift is a transformational one for LWF, as it recognizes the incredible power of ordinary people to make change,” says Alexis Kanu, LWF Executive Director. “We’re honoured by the trust they have placed in LWF, and are excited to transform their investment into impact for our great lake.”

Part of Payworks’ donation will assist in funding the Lake Winnipeg Community-Based Monitoring Network (LWCBMN), a long-term phosphorus monitoring program that mobilizes citizens and watershed partners to collect water samples across the landscape. Reducing phosphorus loading to local waterways is key to preventing damaging algae blooms and preserving the health of the lake. LWCBMN is pinpointing “hotspot” areas that consistently contribute a high phosphorus load to Lake Winnipeg, while also helping to identify year-over-year patterns and trends.

“Community-based monitoring is an essential part of freshwater solutions,” says Chelsea Lobson, LWF Programs Director. “Thanks to the efforts of citizen scientists and watershed partners, LWCBMN is generating important data that can be used to inform research and policy, guide local management practices and improve our collective understanding of the challenge before us.”

“In deciding which of Manitoba’s many deserving organizations to include in our 20th anniversary donation series, a key consideration was to reflect the priorities of our staff,” says JP Perron, President and CEO of Payworks. “Lake Winnipeg means everything from life-giving fresh water to lifelong memories for so many members of our team. The work that LWF is doing is key to preserving those opportunities for future generations. Much like our own Pay it Forward staff volunteer program, LWF engages all community members to help make a difference, and we’re pleased to provide both support and visibility for their impactful initiatives.”

To learn more about Lake Winnipeg Foundation or make a donation of your own, please visit www.lakewinnipegfoundation.org.