Manitoba's former top flood forecaster says he told provincial officials not to go ahead with a controlled release of water from the Assiniboine River but was ignored. The province, however, says it was relying on a range of advice and acted in an emergency situation.

Alf Warkentin says the river had stabilized the day before the cut was made at the Hoop and Holler bend near Portage la Prairie in May.

"To me, it seemed a bit over done – the risk was overblown," he says.

Warkentin was the province's flood forecaster until he retired in 2010. He was brought in by officials to help consult on the spring's flood.

He says the river could have handled the water flows, adding senior members of the Selinger government were aware of his advice.

In the end, only a small amount of water was released through the breach, but some farmland and a few properties were flooded.

"I think our frustration was they didn't seem to want to listen to anybody. They made up their (minds). They were going to do it and it was going to be a done deal regardless," says Jim Leslie, a farmer affected by the flooding.

But Emergency Measures Minister Steve Ashton says they weren't simply relying on flood forecasting. They were also receiving recommendations from engineers and other experts.

Ashton says it was an emergency situation and they had to act fast.

"We did it because we had thousands of homes potentially at risk," said Ashton.

The provincial Tories, however, questioned the move.

"If you're getting that advice from Alf Warkentin and you're disregarding that advice, then that's obviously a serious concern," says PC Leader Hugh McFadyen.

Warkentin questions whether the breach was done for political reasons because of all the media attention the story received.

"There had been so much news about it from coast to coast for days and you kind of wonder if they felt kind of obligated to go through with it because of that," says Warkentin.

The province says it is undertaking a review of the flood to see what worked and what could be improved in the future.

- with a report from CTV's Jeff Keele