Peter Wiesner stands on the breakwater. Fundraising is underway to rebuild it. (Julia Lovett-Squires/battlefordsNOW)

By Julia Lovett-Squires

Important Initiative

Jackfish Breakwater Project underway in Cochin to raise $1.8M

Dec 6, 2023 | 6:06 PM

Under a cool, steel-grey sky Peter Wiesner looks out at the aging, crooked little finger at the opening of Lehman Creek.

The long, twisting rocky outcrop is all that’s left of the breakwater after decades of deterioration from the elements.

“It’s in dire need of refurbishing and replacing,” he said, adding much of the damage comes from ice erosion.

“When the ice breaks up, it really takes a beating, but it’s been like many, many years since the thing has been refurbished.”

The $1.8-million Jackfish Breakwater Project is underway with support from the Resort Village of Cochin, along with Moosomin First Nation and Saulteaux First Nation. Wiesner said it’s not a matter of if but when it fails and it’ll be catastrophic for fisheries, boating, and lake levels.

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“We are well underway though for fundraising and we’re at the last stretch of ‘Help us out’ to help finish up the fundraising efforts,” said Wiesner.

So far, $1.2-million has been raised through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, local businesses, and communities.

There is a catch, however, as it has to be completed next fall or they’ll lose the funding.

“All the contributions are pending, we gotta go.”

The breakwater, which aids the creek that connects Jackfish Lake to Murray Lake, was built around the late 1930s with Wiesner noting his father-in-law used to tell stories about the time before it existed when the creek was at the mercy of nature.

“If there was a windstorm or something at night the creek would close and in the morning a trickle would start coming through, push its way through the sand, and start trickling again,” he said.

“By mid-day, they’d have a little bit of an opening, and you could get through with a canoe or whatever, and then another wind that night, the creek would close again.”

The last time a reconstruction happened was in the 1950s and the reason behind the decades-long wait to rebuild had to do with a “If it ain’t broke’ mindset.

There’s been a push for several years but two years ago, the voices got louder and a committee, made up of representatives from the municipality, the two First Nations, the village, and others was formed to take action.

“We got a good plan in place, now we got to get the money, cause they’re ready to go,’ Wiesner added.

The plans will include a design to help deal with waves breaking and ice flow crashing against the fortified wall of rock.

To donate or to learn more, you can email cochinadmin@sasktel.net or call 306-386-2333.

To keep up to date on developments, visit the Jackfish Breakwater Project on Facebook.

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julia.lovettsquires@pattisonmedia.com

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