1. Acting on energy and climate change
2. Protecting our water
3. Protecting our natural areas
4. Reducing waste and preventing pollution
5. Growing a sustainable, prosperous economy
6. Fostering a green and healthy society
7. Greening the provincial government

Climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions is predicted to raise temperatures in Manitoba four to six degrees Celsius within the next 50 to 100 years. While that might seem appealing during a mid-winter cold snap, these changes in temperature can have serious negative consequences that could forever alter the ecological balance of our province.

Rising global temperatures are predicted to affect Manitoba in several ways - more frequent droughts, more intense rainstorms that could cause problems in agricultural areas, unpredictable water levels in our rivers and lakes, dramatic reductions of our boreal forest and melting permafrost in our tundra region. Milder temperatures are already affecting the North in disturbing ways. Ice roads that many remote communities depend on are melting earlier and our famous polar bear population is declining as a direct result of climate change.

Across our province, however, the negative consequences of climate change include increased uncertainty for farmers, forest industries, recreation and tourism. Recent years have seen historic floods, seasons of extreme precipitation and, paradoxically, severe droughts. These major weather fluctuations make planning decisions for business, farmers and local governments more difficult and riskier in terms of investments.

Manitoba and the Kyoto Protocol

In 2002, Manitoba took a leadership role in calling on the federal government to ratify the Kyoto Protocol - the only international agreement that provides a clear path to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The federal government signed the agreement and it has officially been in force since February 2005. In Manitoba, work is already underway to meet and exceed Kyoto targets.

What climate change means to Manitoba

Wind Energy

One of the single largest wind farms in Canada is being built in southwest Manitoba at St-Léon. When complete, it will supply 99 megawatts of electricity into the provincial grid – enough to power all the households in Portage la Prairie and Morden combined.

We will build on this by: committing to a very aggressive goal of developing 1,000 megawatts of wind power in Manitoba over the next decade. This will generate significant levels of clean, renewable electricity and enable greenhouse gas reductions of more than 3.5 million tonnes annually and stimulate $2 billion in new investments - plus ongoing, sustainable jobs and incomes to help rural communities grow and prosper.

Earth Energy

Manitoba has become a major leader in earth energy systems also known as geothermal or ground source heat pumps. We are an activity hub for North American geothermal installations. These systems provide the lowest cost heating and cooling in the world. Instead of burning fossil fuels or powering an electric element, a pump moves heat into or out of the ground. The only ongoing cost is electricity to run the pump and circulate the hot or cool air. By installing a geothermal system, average homes could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by five tonnes each year.

Manitoba now has between 25% and 30% of all geothermal system installations in the country and 56% of Canada's geothermal installers are trained in Manitoba. Manitoba Hydro's Earth Power Loan Program has helped make this renewable energy technology more accessible to Manitoba homeowners, with installations tripling in the past four years and predicted to double again in the next two years.

We will build on this by: merging Winnipeg's need for new housing lot development within city boundaries with the development of geothermal power. For example, by the fall of 2006, Waverley West in Winnipeg's southwest quadrant will begin development and its houses will benefit from the availability of built-in geothermal systems. These systems eliminate natural gas bills, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and foster a growing industry in our province.

Saving Energy - Demand Side Management (DSM)

With rising heating fuel costs, Manitobans are increasingly aware of the need to reduce our energy consumption. Reducing our demand on electric heat has the added benefit of freeing up hydropower for exports and creating new business opportunities for Manitoba Hydro. Through Manitoba Hydro's Power Smart program, Manitoba has been more aggressive than ever in pursuing energy efficiency by offering home energy audits, home retrofit loan programs and promoting energy-efficient appliances in our homes and businesses.

By 2002, all Manitoba government buildings met and exceeded Kyoto emissions targets. In 2004, Manitoba Hydro and the Manitoba government were awarded the Canadian Energy Efficiency Association's top grade.

In bestowing the award, the association stated that Manitoba is "setting the gold standard for the rest of the country."

Recent progress includes the launch of a new $16 million Home Insulation Program, where homeowners who heat with natural gas can receive a rebate of up to 100% on insulating materials for their home - expected to average over $500 per project.

We will build on this by:

• establishing a new provincial energy saving target of 842 megawatts of electricity by 2017 (up from 241 megawatts), representing the energy equivalent of a hydro dam greater in size than the proposed Gull (Keeyask) project and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by more than 800,000 tonnes each year
• introducing new efficiency incentives for insulation and installing high-efficiency natural gas furnaces, as well as targets for efficiency in natural gas use
• introducing the first-ever energy efficiency project aimed at Winnipeg's inner city
• expanding green energy opportunities for Aboriginal communities, including home energy retrofits, wind power testing and development and an extensive multi-year energy efficiency program in Island Lake
• doubling the number of Climate Change Community Challenge programs
• consulting with the business community to bring in new commercial building codes that will further promote green building development
• encouraging greater use of transit systems and bicycle paths to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
• establish a stabilization and affordable energy fund with hydro export revenues, through The Winter Heating Cost Control Act, that will help natural gas consumers deal with rate shock in the short term, but also significantly expand Power Smart energy-efficiency programs and promote geothermal heat pump installations to reduce Manitobans' demand for non-renewable heat sources and cut greenhouse gas emissions
• consulting with Manitoba farmers on new, innovative ways to reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, to achieve the goal of cutting them by 22% of the business-as-usual trendlines, in accordance with the Agricultural Policy Framework Agreement with Ottawa
• promoting fuel-efficient vehicles through incentives such as reducing registration fees and increasing research and development into new plug-in hybrid vehicle technology
• launching the Manitoba Aboriginal Energy Efficiency Initiative - in partnership with First Nations - to lower energy bills and reduce fossil fuel use in Aboriginal communities

Greening Downtown Winnipeg

Downtown Winnipeg has seen a remarkable renaissance since 1999. New, green buildings are rising where boarded up or abandoned ones had been. Award-winning buildings such as Red River College's downtown campus and Mountain Equipment Co-op started the trend and have now been joined by the MTS Centre, the Millennium Library, the Smith Street seniors' residence solar wall and the Dalnavert Museum. Also, by investing in streetscaping and creating Waterfront Drive, millions of dollars invested in new downtown condominium development will result in denser, more sustainable urban living situations and a livelier downtown.

The new Manitoba Hydro headquarters currently under construction, consolidating nearly 2,000 staff from across Winnipeg into the downtown, promises to be one of the most energy-efficient large buildings in the world, incorporating state-of-the art energy efficiency technologies in a world-class design while recycling and reusing up to 90 % of the materials from the original buildings from the site.

Community Active

Manitoba was the first province to join the federal government's One-Tonne Challenge. Known in our province as the Climate Change Community Challenge, the initiative supports innovative climate change programs throughout Manitoba. Multi-year funding arrangements with groups like Resource Conservation Manitoba and the Manitoba Eco-Network are supporting environmental education and other projects across the province. In Brandon, the city is working to convert its entire public transit bus fleet to run on biodiesel. In Northern Manitoba, several communities are part of a project to heat greenhouses using waste fuel. These projects result in fresh produce being grown closer to home with less reliance on supplies from the South. In Southern Manitoba, communities like Winkler and Morden are actively pursuing opportunities with wind and solar power.

Research and Development

Manitoba is the bus manufacturing centre of North America and through New Flyer, is a hub of major innovations like hybrid buses. In 2002, New Flyer came back from the brink of an uncertain future with the assistance of the provincial government and today is the world's number one manufacturer of hybrid buses with major international sales. Hybrid buses built in Winnipeg are currently running on the streets of cities like Seattle and Vancouver.

This hybrid technology is now being adopted by General Motors to advance the manufacture of hybrid vehicles. Building on that expertise, the world's first hybrid internal combustion engine hydrogen (H2-ICE) bus was tested on the streets of Winnipeg in January 2005.

Manitoba also proudly supports local innovation like the Red River College solar powered car.

We will build on this by:

• establishing a Hydrogen Centre of Expertise to address long-term approaches for sustainable energy and greenhouse gas reductions including research and commercialization of clean hydrogen technology
• working with international and Manitoba institutions and businesses to advance plug-in technologies for electric vehicles

Biofuels - Ethanol and Biodiesel

In the 1980s, Manitoba was the first province in Canada to construct an ethanol plant (located in Minnedosa) and one of the first to have a biodiesel plant (located in Arborg). Today, the Manitoba government has passed biofuels legislation to mandate the use of 10% ethanol in gasoline products. The mandate will take effect once local production grows to meet the demand and will reduce 150,000 tonnes of greenhouse gasses annually. This growth is already underway with the expansion of the $145 million Husky plant at Minnedosa. This plant will be capable of producing 130 million litres of ethanol and replacing the equivalent of nearly one million barrels of imported oil each year. Manitoba's new biodiesel industry is set for rapid expansion, spreading across several rural communities.

Like other climate change initiatives, biofuels create economic as well as environmental benefits. Ethanol will create a new market for 14 million bushels of wheat and biodiesel will create new markets for off-grade oil seed crops that will benefit Manitoba producers. As an added benefit to ethanol production is a high-protein feed called distillers dried grains (DDG) for local livestock producers.

The province has also worked with Manitoba Hydro and the City of Winnipeg to capture, manage and harness the biogas resource from the Brady Landfill site - with a potential of reducing 500,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases - as well as supporting the new Bio-Terre Systems installation at a Teulon hog farm, an anaerobic digester system designed to process waste, capture onsite emissions and produce electricity to meet farm needs.

A New Era for Manitoba Hydro

In the period of major Northern hydro expansion in the 1960s and '70s, dam construction caused flooding and disruption to the lives of many First Nations communities. That era is over. New generation hydro projects are being negotiated in full partnership with First Nations people and have also been redesigned to ensure minimal or no flooding occurs.

For example, the next planned hydro project in Manitoba, Wuskwatim, was redesigned from a 340 megawatt facility to a 200 megawatt facility based on advice from First Nations in the vicinity of the dam. The new design will result in flooding of less than 0.5 square kilometres of land and when in operation, the dam will represent a potential reduction of greenhouse gas emissions of 1.5 million tonnes annually. In addition, the Wuskwatim project includes training, jobs and an equity partnership with the Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation. In Manitoba, hydro development - which produces one of the cleanest forms of energy in the world - is now even more environmentally and socially responsible.