Today, Premier Wab Kinew, alongside Finance Minister Adrien Sala and Environment and Climate Change Minister Tracy Schmidt, announced his government’s long-awaited energy plan.
As summarized in the Premier’s own words, “One of the big centrepieces of the plan we’re unveiling here today is that we’re going to add 600 MW worth of wind farms here in Manitoba… Wind gives us the best opportunity to add new power sources while still saving you money and keeping your hydro bill affordable.”
The plan itself outlines the next step for Manitoba Hydro is to issue an Expression of Interest (EOI) for near-term wind generating projects with Indigenous majority ownership for up to 600 MW of power.
Kinew declared that First Nations and Métis-led ownership opportunities will “bring in a new era of Nation-to-Nation energy partnership, unlocking economic growth for Indigenous Nations, and creating more affordable, clean energy for all Manitobans. These new partnerships will still leave room for Manitoba Hydro to develop additional wind generation as needed while maintaining public ownership of our Crown utility.”
Kinew further stated his government’s approach is to help Manitobans make the right choice for the environment: “We can’t tax you, we can’t mandate you, we can’t force you into doing an environmental choice. We have to make it more affordable for you to do an environmentally friendly thing.”
Further high-level details include:
- Creating an Indigenous loan-guarantee program to provide First Nations and Métis the capital support and capacity to participate in the energy transition and finance new partnerships in wind generation;
- Refurbishing Manitoba Hydro generating stations to unlock up to 200 megawatts of additional power;
- Ending the first-come, first-served approach for large grid connection, to better align with Manitoba’s economic development goals;
- Strengthening energy codes for homes and buildings to generate long-term energy savings for Manitoba families;
- Stronger oversight of the oil and gas sector with regular provincial inspections to ensure environmental safety and reliability;
- Installing new Manitoba Hydro owned and operated public electric vehicle chargers; and
- Renewing the emphasis on energy security with stronger protections in place for procurement and data management to keep Manitoba’s energy supply safe and secure.
In a week where the Angus Reid Institute suggested that Kinew remains Canada’s most popular provincial leader, and as his government approaches its one-year anniversary, Premier Kinew once again spoke directly to Manitobans by staying on message with his focus on affordability, jobs and clean energy.
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For more information and insights about what these developments mean for the political landscape in Manitoba, please reach out to our experts:
Tara Bingham – Senior Strategy Advisor
tara@prairieskystrategy.ca
204.390.7760
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