Ecclectica » Manitoba

by The Honourable Gary Doer
Premier of Manitoba

Gary Doer

Manitoba's spectacular lakes and rivers, our beautiful boreal forest, our tundra and our prairies are all part of who we are. I am proud that Manitobans are playing a lead role in the world in recognizing the value of our natural resources, addressing the impacts of climate change and developing a new Green Economy.

Manitoba was the first province to call for Canada's ratification of the Kyoto Accord, and the first to develop a plan for meeting our provincial Kyoto target. It is not surprising, then, that on many fronts Manitoba is also ahead in the implementation of implementing clean energy and green technologies. We were recently recognized by Business Week magazine as the top jurisdiction in the world for climate change action – an honour that should be shared equally by the innovative companies in our energy, construction and agricultural sectors, and by communities like Minnedosa (ethanol production), St. Leon (wind energy), Brandon (geo-thermal installations), Nelson House First Nation (low-impact hydro development) and Winnipeg's Centennial neighbourhood (housing retrofit).

Much of this activity has occurred in just the past five years, based on recommendations arising from public consultations and published in Manitoba's 2001 Climate Change Task Force Report. But if we think the change to more sustainable ways of living is happening quickly, we should check in with the youth of our province. This is an area where the handing down of values from one generation to the next is reversed, and those of us who are in the "back nine of life" find we have lots to learn from our children. Young people across Manitoba are passionate about protecting our environment and untroubled by the adjustments in lifestyle that sustainable living may require.

Perhaps this is not so surprising coming from kids who seem to pick up with ease new technologies that confuse and frustrate their parents. What I think young people have been quicker to realize, however, is that living greener often means living a better quality of life. In particular it means: better houses; better cars and appliances; a healthier and more balanced lifestyle. I also think young people have been quicker to grasp that new ways of doing things represent an economic opportunity, not an economic cost; and also that, as the British economist Sir Nicholas Stern has recently demonstrated, the cost of not acting to stem the effects of global warming outweighs the cost of acting.

In Manitoba we have all the evidence we need that the younger generation is right. The costs of climate change were witnessed first in our northern latitudes, and they are mounting. Communities are dealing already with more frequent flood events; the impact on our winter road system from shorter winters; and the impact on wildlife from changes to the eco-systems of the northern tundra and the boreal forest. The majestic polar bear, an animal that is emblematic of Canada's north, has become a symbol of a new kind – the "canary in the coal mine" for our global environment.

At the same time we are reckoning the costs of climate change, Manitoba is realizing the economic opportunities associated with the shift to green technologies. We are uniquely positioned for this. The single biggest step that can be taken to reduce Canada's greenhouse gas emissions would be to displace coal-generated electricity (in Ontario and other provinces) with electricity generated by hydro and wind plants. Manitoba has another 3,000 megawatts of hydro-electric potential to develop in the north – the region of our province that is most in need of economic and employment opportunities. The new model for hydro-electric development, exemplified by the Wuskwatim project, involves First Nations as full partners with Manitoba Hydro for employment, training and profits. The benefits of new hydro development are already flowing. With Wuskwatim construction well underway, work has recently begun on the Conawapa dam. Negotiations continue for major clean energy exports to the east, the west and the south. I am convinced that, for Manitoba, hydro-electric production will come to play the same role that oil and gas production have played for Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Wind energy development is a natural complement to hydro development: the variability of wind can be offset in a positive way by the variability of water flows. Wind farms, such as the one already in production at Ste. Leon, will bring to rural Manitoba a major share in the benefits of our clean energy strategy. Our government's commitment is to add 1,000 megawatts of wind to our system, in tandem with the construction of low-impact dams.

For rural Manitoba, the expansion of biofuel production represents an even larger economic opportunity, just as the increased use of ethanol blend gasoline and bio-diesel to fuel our cars and trucks represents one of our biggest opportunities to reduce greenhouse emissions. The expansion of the Minnedosa ethanol plant, following on the introduction of the provincial ethanol mandate, is one of the largest economic projects currently underway in Manitoba. A strategy has also been launched to achieve a similar expansion in bio-diesel production – with the difference that the smaller-scale production facilities required for bio-diesel mean that many more communities can share in the benefits.

In Brandon and Winnipeg, and in all Manitoba communities with significant residential and commercial construction, the introduction of new building standards for energy efficiency and the rapid growth in geo-thermal installations is generating another happy marriage of economic opportunity with environmental benefits. Manitoba leads the country in geo-thermal installations, and we are one of the first places in North America where geo-thermal is being developed for entire residential subdivisions. For existing housing stock, community-led efforts are demonstrating the economic benefits of energy efficient retrofits. The Island Lakes region in northern Manitoba and the Centennial neighbourhood in central Winnipeg are being used as pilots to show the savings that can be generated for homeowners and the improvements in the quality of housing that can be achieved through retrofit projects.

There are many other areas of green technology in which Manitoba is playing a leading role: the building of hybrid buses; the development of hydrogen fuel as an alternative to gasoline and diesel; and innovations in farming, including the use of waste products for small-scale energy generation.

In addition, we are taking strong action to protect Lake Winnipeg, one of the real jewels of our Province. With tough new measures to reduce nutrients, $180 million worth of investments in clean water upgrades, and cross – border agreements to ensure better practices across entire river basins, we are committed to working with all Manitobans to protect this essential resource.

And in recognition of the unique boreal forest on the East Side of Lake Winnipeg and the First Nations communities that live there, we are investing in sustaining the boreal forest, working towards a UNESCO world heritage site and supporting new eco-tourism opportunities in the region.

Though much has been done, our provincial Green strategy will continue to grow and evolve, based on ideas coming from communities and individuals all across Manitoba. We need to continue listening to the innovators in our province and remain open to their advice. In particular, we need to listen to the young people of Manitoba. They have a legitimate expectation that our generation will pass on to them the spectacular, unspoiled environment we have enjoyed up until now. They are willing to embrace the changes we all need to make, and turn the challenges of environmental stewardship into opportunities that will benefit our Province long into the future.

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