Flooded fields surround 18th Street North in Brandon, Manitoba, in a photo posted on July 12, 2026. (CITY OF BRANDON / FACEBOOK)
A city in western Manitoba says the rising Assiniboine River looks to have reached a peak overnight.
The City of Brandon said Monday that water levels show the river is stabilizing after climbing about 2.3 metres in less than a week.
Mayor Jeff Fawcett warned though that the river is expected to stay high for days and that weather could quickly change the picture.
“If we receive significant rainfall locally or within the Shellmouth or Assiniboine basins, the flood forecast could change again.”
He told a press briefing that early notification of the rising water allowed the city to properly prepare and reinforce weak points.
The city has spent the last week adding to the dike system as well as installing large sand bags and pumps and doing other prep work.
The river level was at 360.4 metres as of Monday morning. That’s about 2.6 metres higher than last year’s peak, and about a metre lower than the 2014 flood.
The rising river came after extensive rain left several communities flooded in Manitoba’s Parkland Region.
Water has receded in hard-hit communities, including Swan River, but cleanup and rebuilding efforts are still underway.
In Dauphin, the city’s main hospital and emergency room was knocked out by flooding. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said Friday that he was told it would be nine to 12 months before it reopens.
He said he’s pushing to have it open sooner. He also announced a series of financial supports for flood victims.
Residents in Brandon are being spared large-scale flooding thanks to the dike network that was largely built in 2011.
Fawcett said there would have been significant damage without the flood barriers, particularly at the pace the rising waters came in.
He said the lack of rain in the past week has also been a big help.
“We’re really grateful for all the work that’s gone on over the years that have helped make this a more manageable situation,” he said.
“Of course, I also want to thank the weather for working out.”
— By Ian Bickis in Winnipeg
