MESSAGE FROM THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE HONOURABLE KEVIN KLEIN

When the Premier asked me to take on the role of Minister for the Department of Environment and Climate, I was honoured to lead the province’s work to protect nature and reduce emissions in Manitoba. In continuing the work of my predecessors to implement the 2017 Climate and Green Plan, we have made significant achievements and look forward to more actions to reduce emissions.

Manitoba’s Carbon Savings Account sets five-year goals for emissions reductions. We expect to confirm our goal of one megatonne of emissions reductions during the first period (2018-2022), and we have set a more ambitious goal of at least 5.6 megatonne reduction for the second period (2023-2027). Achieving these reductions are expected to occur throughout the energy supply chain within Manitoba, and many are focused on end-use reductions.

The Efficient Trucking Program will provide up to $6.9 million that will help extend the program for another year. The Conservation and Climate Fund allocated $1.5 million to support projects that align with the priorities of the Climate and Green Plan. We increased Manitoba’s Biofuels Mandates in 2022, and we will continue to work on renewable fuels, including hydrogen, as a way to reduce fossil fuel emissions in the province.

Our Crown corporations hold important roles in achieving emissions reductions. Manitoba Hydro is the provincial electricity and natural gas utility, and they have a critical role to support the shift away from fossil fuels and toward clean and renewable electricity where possible. A new integrated resource planning process is underway that will ensure that our electricity and natural gas needs are met in a cost-effective matter, and to ensure that customers’ needs are met as they increase their demand for electricity.

Energy efficiency and other demand-side management efforts delivered by Efficiency Manitoba will be critical to achieve the legislated mandate is to develop and support energy efficiency initiatives that will reduce provincial consumption of electricity by 1.5 per cent and natural gas by 0.75 per cent annually. By reducing provincial consumption of natural gas, the Crown corporation enables significant greenhouse gas emissions reductions.

In Budget 2023, our government recommitted to protecting Manitoba’s environment in ways that create conditions for sustainable growth and a greener economy by providing grant funding to encourage businesses, industries, and institutions to identify pathways to de-carbonization, as well as fund innovative projects to help protect the environment and create a greener Manitoba. Further, Manitoba’s Climate and Green Plan continues to guide priorities and investments to help protect the environment and reduce emissions while advancing economic opportunities and innovation for Manitoba.

Manitoba’s clean, renewable, and low-cost electricity is 99.6 per cent carbon free. This provides an unparalleled opportunity to help the energy sector, manufacturers, municipalities, private businesses, public institutions, and households across the province to prepare for a low-carbon future.

Our energy resources, economic advantages, and leadership on environmental protection will move us ever closer to a future in which greenhouse gas emissions are dramatically lower and our economy becomes more diverse, innovative, and prosperous in a carbon-constrained future. v