The New Democrate Party (currently the majority gov't in Manitoba) has submitted a list of the GREEN activities:
Leading the Globe on climate change
Addressing Climate Change
- The Doer government has been applauded by the Canadian Energy Alliance, Business Week, the international Climate Control Group, and the Suzuki Foundation for our action on climate change and greenhouse gas emissions.
- Manitoba Hydro is investing in new dams that emit virtually no greenhouse gases and generate thousands of megawatts of clean energy.
- Manitoba Hydro’s Power Smart energy efficiency strategy has reduced electricity consumption by 300 megawatts since 1999, enough to power a city the size of Brandon.
- Hydro will be adding 1,000 megawatts of wind-generated power to its grid over the next 10 years, building on the success of the St. Leon wind farm.
- Manitoba’s exports have reduced the production of greenhouse gases by 172 million tonnes over 35 years by reducing the need for thermal generation in the region.
- Manitoba has become a national leader in promoting geothermal (ground source) heat energy pumps for heating and cooling buildings in an economical and environmentally friendly way. We have quadrupled the rate of geothermal installations (5,000 pumps, saving 50-70% off natural gas bills) in the past five years. Per capita, Manitoba installs over three times the number of geothermal heat pumps installed elsewhere in Canada.
- The NDP government was the first in Canada to devise a detailed hydrogen development plan and test a hydrogen transit bus. And it will be the first jurisdiction on the continent able to produce hydrogen economically, thanks to its abundant supplies of water and hydroelectricity.
- Our government is encouraging the bio-diesel and ethanol industry. The use of ethanol-blended gas, as mandated by our government, will result in a 135,000 tonne reduction in greenhouse gases, equivalent to removing over 10,000 vehicles from the road.
- Budget 2007 introduced a green-energy manufacturing tax credit to promote the development and manufacture of clean energy technology in Manitoba.
- Statistics Canada produces independent yearly reports on greenhouse gas emissions. Statistics Canada’s shows that since 2000, greenhouse gas emission have decreased by close to 200,000 tonnes in Manitoba, (from 21.366 MT to 21.177 MT).
- Between 1990 and 2000, greenhouse gases increased by more than 2.6 MT in Manitoba - an increase of 14%.
Moving Forward
- Under the NDP, Manitoba has become the first province in Canada to enshrine Kyoto targets in legislation, and lay out targets.
- We’ve joined B.C. and six US states in the Western Climate Initiative (WCI) aimed at developing market-based strategies to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG).
- Manitoba supports WCI’s regional greenhouse gas reduction goal of 15% below 2005 levels by 2020. Manitoba’s commitment to Kyoto is part of the province’s formal commitment to WCI.
- We’re setting up a recognized carbon-credit registry, the first of its kind in Canada. Manitoba endorses a cap-and-trade system as the most efficient mechanism to meet a regional GHG reduction goal. Manitoba will be initiating industry and stakeholder consultations on the WCI recommendations.
- Manitoba will be unveiling a Green Registry in the coming months that will support a cap-and-trade system by allowing emitters to trade emission credits.
- The recommended cap-and-trade system is an important milestone but we still have much to do in terms of engaging stakeholders and the public to finalize the system for implementation by 2012.
- Hydro’s last remaining coal-fired generation facility will be phased out.
- The NDP will create a “made-in-Manitoba” vehicle efficiency standard, which will include incentives to deal with older vehicles.
- We will require that emissions from the province’s larger landfills be reduced.
- The province will be adopting leading-edge standards for energy efficiency for government buildings and vehicles.
- A Univeristy of Manitoba research project on the impact of climate change on the Arctic ice pack is being funded by the province and its partners through the Manitoba Research and Innovation Fund.
- Hydro will be expanding its fuel-testing centre in Selkirk to provide state-of-the-art services to the province’s biodiesel industry.
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