FRANCAIS

March 08, 2006

Government fleets in Manitoba will be filling up with a lower-emission fuel thanks to a joint program of the governments of Canada and Manitoba. The governments today launched a $174,000 sustainable-transportation project to demonstrate the feasibility of using high ethanol content fuels in provincial light-duty fleet vehicle operations.

Under the federally-funded project, fleet vehicles operated by provincial and federal offices will fill up at a special filling station with environmentally-friendly fuel known as E85 with an ethanol content of up to 85 per cent.

"Canadians deserve to live in a clean and healthy environment," said Joy Smith, MP, Kildonan – St. Paul, on behalf of federal Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn. "By helping to bring alternative fuel technologies to the marketplace, the Government of Canada is working to make that happen."

"We appreciate the federal support for Manitoba’s leadership in sustainable transportation and our efforts to make flex-fuel vehicles and E85 available to all provincial fleet vehicle users," said Manitoba Transportation and Government Services Minister Ron Lemieux. "This station will serve our fleet vehicles in the Winnipeg area and eventually lead to providing this environmentally-friendly fuel to the thousands of E85-capable vehicles now registered in Manitoba."

The federal funding of $121,000 and provincial in-kind contributions of $53,000 will cover the cost of installing an E85 storage and fuelling facility in Winnipeg. The facility will provide the high ethanol content fuel, which is not currently available commercially, for federal and provincial vehicles designed to run on the special blend. Presently, there are about 25 RCMP vehicles and 60 provincially-owned vehicles operating in the Winnipeg region that can use the E85 fuel.

Manitoba has undertaken a wide range of green and growing strategies which support investments in alternative fuels as economic development opportunities for farmers and long-term environmental protection measures.

The provincial green and growing strategy is also reflected in sustainable-transportation initiatives such as the establishment of the Centre for Sustainable Transportation at the University of Winnipeg, provision of gas-electric hybrid vehicles in the provincial vehicle fleet, cold-weather testing of hybrid hydrogen internal-combustion engine technology, training through support of the Red River Raycer solar-car project and fostering development of biofuel opportunities and increased ethanol production in rural Manitoba to encourage expanded use of environmentally-friendly fuels.

Husky Canada has announced its plans to invest $145 million to expand ethanol production at its plant in Minnedosa. This project has been allocated a $10.4 million contribution by the Government of Canada’s Ethanol Expansion Program. Ethanol is a renewable resource produced from grain and blending it with gasoline significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

- 30 -