Minimum security inmates from the federal Rockwood Institution will assist in flood preparation in a number of Manitoba rural municipalities.
Inmates will help fill sandbags in the RMs of Cartier, St. Francois Xavier and Headingley, as part of a partnership between the Correctional Service of Canada and the Provincial Emergency Measures Office (EMO).
One sandbagging machine has been delivered to Rockwood Institution already and requires a minimum of 48 workers to produce at full capacity. It’s expected 100,000 sandbags will be filled by up to 65 inmates.
The project is said to last two weeks, but depending on spring flood conditions, it could be extended.