The Provincial Parks Endowment Funds (collectively referred to as PPEF) are a series of funds established in 2021 by the Manitoba Government through agreements with The Winnipeg Foundation, who will manage and provide oversight of the funds. The PPEF portfolio is made up of the following funds:
- The Provincial Park Endowment Fund (General)
- The Provincial Park Endowment Incentive Fund
- Birds Hill Provincial Park Endowment Fund
- Hecla/Grindstone Provincial Park - Cheryle D. Christensen Endowment Fund
- Hecla/Grindstone Provincial Park Endowment Fund
- Clearwater Lake Provincial Park Endowment Fund
- Paint Lake Provincial Park Endowment Fund
- Spruce Woods Provincial Park Endowment Fund
- Upper Fort Garry Heritage Provincial Park Endowment Fund
- Whiteshell Provincial Park Endowment Fund
The funds were all established with initial capital contributions from government, with the exception of the Cheryle D. Christensen Fund, that was established in 2018 through a generous private donation from her and was supplemented with an additional $500k from the Endowment Incentive Fund.
The Endowment Incentive Fund revenue is designed to match gifts received and capitalize funds into the appropriate fund.
The funds can generate as much as $1 million per year to assist with enhancing and improving Manitoba’s provincial parks. The projects undertaken with PPEF allocations contribute to these key outcomes:
- Conserve and preserve areas of geological, cultural and ecological significance.
- Enhancing ecological integrity and conserving biological diversity,
- Increasing public use by improving public safety, enhancing visitor accessibility, and enriching experiences for park visitors;
- Improving water quality through decreasing nutrients and other pollutants entering waterways; and
- Increasing resilience to climate change through implementing positive adaptive and mitigative strategies.
In response to public feedback and identified critical infrastructure needs, a set of key project categories were identified and will provide guidance in long-term activities that support the sustainability of provincial parks (including critical infrastructure) for current and future generations. Project categories include:
- Development and maintenance of trails, boardwalks, and associated infrastructure;
- Public use facilities such amphitheaters, shelters, day use sites, playground equipment, docks and launches;
- Park road maintenance;
- Habitat restoration and enhancement;
- Historical assets and cultural sites;
- Infrastructure to support programming;
- Modern machinery and operational equipment;
- Municipal servicing infrastructure;
