Brandon West's candidates' promises on Climate Change & the Environment

Active transportation

We don't have any PC policies on Active transportation.

Green

Permit cyclists to treat stop signs as yields and red lights as stop signs, unless otherwise marked
Permit cyclists of all ages and with all sizes of tire to ride on sidewalks, provided they do so safely and yield to pedestrians
Give Cyclists priority right-of-way over motorists on all highways
Require the installation of stop signs and traffic calming measures in back lanes to prevent collisions with cyclists and pedestrians
Enact a province-wide urban default residential speed limit of no more than 30km/h
Prohibit motorists from turning across a pedestrian or cyclist crosswalk at a red light (effectively banning right turns on red)

We don't have any NDP policies on Active transportation.

Climate adaptation

We don't have any PC policies on Climate adaptation.

Green

Recognize the climate crisis for the Emergency that it truly is
Develop a provincial Climate Emergency Response Agency that would bring together environmental, health, engineering and other professionals with Indigenous leadership, government personnel and members of the lay public to oversee the coordinated planning and action on Climate Emergency mitigation and adaptation
Call for a provincial Citizens Assembly on the Climate Emergency with an emphasis on incorporating Indigenous wisdom on climate and the natural environment

We don't have any NDP policies on Climate adaptation.

Electric vehicles

We don't have any PC policies on Electric vehicles.

NDP

Create a "clean energy hub" to invest in building charging stations and networks
Provide $4,000 rebates for new and $2,500 and used EVs and plug-in hybrids

Energy generation

We don't have any PC policies on Energy generation.

Green

Accelerate approvals for wind turbine installation on already degraded sites such as garbage dumps when such sites are suitable for wind turbine development

We don't have any NDP policies on Energy generation.

Environmental organisations

We don't have any PC policies on Environmental organisations.

NDP

Restore funding to environmental organisations that was cut in 2020

"Restore funding to environmental organizations cut by the PCs in 2020 and work with them to fight climate change" — mbndp.ca, retrieved 2023-09-19

Forests

We don't have any PC policies on Forests.

NDP

Stop deforestation and plant more trees

"End the PC Government’s practice of deforestation and plant more trees to improve Manitoba's green spaces and protect Manitobans from extreme heat." — mbndp.ca, retrieved 2023-09-19

Green construction and retrofits

PC

Create a $15M fund to retrofit semi-trailers for aerodynamics

"The PCs also committed today to new investments to improve fuel efficiency in the transportation sector, with a $15-million fund to equip semi-trailers with aerodynamic retrofits. Around 31% of the province’s greenhouse gas emissions are generated by the transportation sector." — pcmanitoba.com, retrieved 2023-09-17

Green

Incentivize the purchase and installation of composting toilets
Mandate that all building permits for residential, commercial, institutional and industrial buildings include a water reclamation system so that only minimal amounts of treated water are used for toilet flushing

NDP

Help 5,000 families install geothermal heating and cooling with no up-front cost

"A Manitoba NDP government will help 5,000 families switch to geothermal heating and cooling. Through Efficiency Manitoba, families will be able to get a new geothermal system with no up-front cost and no need to find an installer. This plan will lower energy bills for families by up to 50%, on top of the NDP’s commitment to freezing monthly hydro bills. Geothermal energy has proven to be a simple, affordable and efficient home energy solution, but under the PC government, it’s been underutilized.

By hiring local, qualified contractors to install more geothermal systems, the NDP’s energy plan will create 1,000 clean energy jobs per year across the province." — mbndp.ca, 2023-09-20

Land

We don't have any PC policies on Land.

NDP

Reverse the current government's changes to Crown Land leases
Conserve at least 30% of lands and waters by 2030

"Work with Indigenous communities to conserve at least 30% of Manitoba’s lands and waters by 2030." — mbndp.ca, retrieved 2023-09-19

Public transit

PC

Provide $8.8M over 4 years for new Winnipeg Transit routes

"A re-elected PC government will provide $2.2 million annually to support the Aurora and Castlebury Meadows transit lines in northern Winnipeg, as well as Prairie Pointe and Waterford Green transit lines in Waverley West, Smith noted." — pcmanitoba.com, 2023-09-28

Green

Work with all cities in Manitoba to improve public transit service including increasing frequency, operating hours, and coverage
Work with all cities in Manitoba with public transit systems to provide fare-free transit service, supported by increased provincial funding for fare-free public transit systems
Develop and implement a province-wide system of electrified intercity bus and rail service
Work toward a target where all busses, new and replacement, are zero emissions, battery electric or electric trolley busses
Investigate a system of airship transportation for goods and services to remote and northern communities

NDP

Switch transit bus fleets to electric
Work with local companies, including New Flyer, to create jobs in electrified transit

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions

We don't have any PC policies on Reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Green

Eliminate fossil fuel subsidies in Manitoba
Remove the exemption for fuel under the Fuel Tax Act, and apply PST to all fuels
Ban hydraulic fracturing (fracking)
Cancel all new oil exploration projects
Phase out existing oil and gas operations, so that they continue on a declining basis, to terminate at the end of 2035

We don't have any NDP policies on Reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Waste

We don't have any PC policies on Waste.

Green

Develop and implement province-wide municipal organics (compost) diversion programs from both the residential and the Industrial, Commercial and Institutional (ICI) sectors
Develop and implement a deposit return system for recyclable single-use packaging and
Introduce new tax incentives for enterprises that repair, reuse, and repurpose items that would otherwise have gone to landfill
Accelerate regulations to phase out non-essential, single-use plastics, and expand the list of items to be phased out
Increase fines for illegal dumping
Mandate sorting of waste, compostable material and recyclables for all government departments and agencies, industry and corporations across the province, with meaningful fines in place to address non-compliance
Require that all plastic packaging sold in Manitoba contain at least 50% recycled content by 2030
Adjust provincial procurement practices and support municipalities that adopt equivalent or better reuse standards
Introduce targets for reusable, returnable product packaging systems
Prioritize and accelerate the upgrade of the Winnipeg North End Sewage Treatment Plant
Support consumers in independently maintaining their electronics, large appliances, machinery, and vehicles, and being able to access cost-effective repairs to those items, by introducing Right to Repair legislation
This would include mandating:
- The availability of parts at reasonable prices;
- Provision of free and publicly available service manuals;
- Publicly available repair information such as software tools and schematics;
- Repairability labeling to inform consumers of the likely lifetime and fixability of the product; and
- Enforcing repairable designs (e.g., replaceable batteries, long-term software support, etc).
Accelerate approvals for wind turbine installation on already degraded sites such as garbage dumps when such sites are suitable for wind turbine development

We don't have any NDP policies on Waste.

Water

We don't have any PC policies on Water.

Green

Prioritize and accelerate the upgrade of the Winnipeg North End Sewage Treatment Plant
Incentivize the purchase and installation of composting toilets
Mandate that all building permits for residential, commercial, institutional and industrial buildings include a water reclamation system so that only minimal amounts of treated water are used for toilet flushing
Ban hydraulic fracturing (fracking)
Ban Silica Sand mines

NDP

Conserve at least 30% of lands and waters by 2030

"Work with Indigenous communities to conserve at least 30% of Manitoba’s lands and waters by 2030." — mbndp.ca, retrieved 2023-09-19
Work with municipalities to improve surface-water protections
Finish upgrading the North End Water Pollution Control Centre
Provide adequate funding for waste-water management

"Work with municipalities to improve surface-water protections and ensure there is adequate funding for waste-water management so communities can grow" — mbndp.ca, retrieved 2023-09-19