Photo credit: CBC News
The current Manitoba NDP government was elected on the promise to fight climate change, describing it as “one of the greatest challenges of our time.” In years prior, then-opposition NDP MLAs introduced a bill that would have required Manitoba to cut its emissions by almost half by 2030, and another bill that would have tied ministerial salary to achieving emissions reduction targets.
Two years into their mandate, the government produced a climate strategy, Manitoba’s Path to Net Zero, which includes some fairly robust high-level climate commitments. However, as we’ve discussed, its real impact will be determined by the action plans and investments that follow it.
So ahead of budget 2026, we’re taking stock of the Province’s funding for climate to date, and how it compares to the levels of investment needed to really move the needle on reducing emissions.
In total, the current Manitoba government has committed (but not necessarily spent) about $72 million on climate policy since its election, largely split between electric vehicle (EV) rebates and a cost-matching program with the federal government to install heat pumps and retrofits in homes.
While this may seem like a decent amount, it’s a drop in the bucket compared to its investments in support for fossil fuels and related infrastructure, such as: $340 million on the gas tax “holiday” in 2024; $1.15 billion on highway construction in 2024 and 2025; and the $3 billion price tag for Manitoba Hydro’s proposed fossil gas-fired power plant.
It also represents only 1.2% of the $5.79 billion of Manitoba’s estimated inflation-adjusted social cost of carbon (or the likely financial cost of each additional tonne of carbon dioxide) in 2023, the most recent year of emissions.
A Running List Of The Government’s Climate Investments So Far…
** This list includes new funding focused on greenhouse gas emissions reductions that has been announced by the government since its election. It does not include continuation of funding introduced by previous governments, or funding that only has peripheral relevance to emissions reductions. It will be treated as a living document, adding new funding announcements as they’re made.
| Date | Amount | Description | Sector |
| June 27, 2024 | $600,000 | Merit-Based Program under the Low Carbon Economy Fund, with the federal government contributing $12.5 million, mostly directed to fuel switching on farms. | Agriculture (predominantly) |
| July 2, 2024 | Up to $25 million | EV rebate, offered until March 2026, providing a $4,000 rebate on new EVs and a $2,500 rebate on used EVs. About $16 million appears to have been allocated by September 2025. | Transportation |
| April 22, 2025 | $1.86 million | Climate Action Fund, which supported 35 projects including 51 EV charging stations throughout Manitoba. | Mixed |
| September 12, 2025 | $29.8 million | Heat pump and retrofit program through 2030, matching federal funding for the same amount through the Canada Greener Homes Affordability Program. | Buildings |
| October 6, 2025 | $9.2 million | Six EV charging stations between Winnipeg and Thompson. | Transportation |
| October 17, 2025 | $4.5 million | Manitoba Climate and Economy Solutions Program that awards funding to projects that reduce emissions, with the federal government contributing up to $23 million. | Mixed |
| November 13, 2025 | $500,000 | Sustainable Agriculture Manitoba. CAT has previously recommended that the Province increase funding to this unit by $50 million. | Agriculture |
| TOTAL | $71.5 million |
The government has also committed funding to some other climate-adjacent initiatives, such as the expropriation of Lemay Forest for what is likely between $5.3 million and $8 million. It has made additional announcements about climate policy, such as the development of a provincial climate change education framework, but it is unclear if any extra funding has been allocated.
The $72 million that the Manitoba government has committed between late 2023 and 2030 certainly isn’t nothing. It is significant. But it nonetheless pales in comparison to the scale of investment required to draw down emissions with the urgency the climate crisis demands.
For example, the combined $60 million in federal and provincial funding for the heat pump and retrofit program through 2030 will cover the cost of about 1,200 ground-source heat pumps; while an excellent start, this is only one-quarter of the provincial commitment to install 5,000 by 2030—and about 0.3% of the 500,000 buildings (both residential and commercial) in Manitoba. There will need to be an average of 20,000 heat pump installations per year until 2050 to decarbonize the province’s building heating sector and curb electricity demand growth.
Ambition must be significantly scaled up to meet the urgency of the moment. In Budget 2026, we’re calling for:
- $100 million for permanent and long-term operating funding for urban, intercity and rural public transit systems.
- $100 million to Efficiency Manitoba to expand heat pumps and retrofits, as well as the Crown corporation’s own capacity to deliver these programs.
- Develop a capital spending plan to build at least 200 MW of battery energy storage by 2030, likely to cost around $500 million.
We are raising these demands through our Worth It campaign, to influence the upcoming spring budget. Join us at the February government budget town halls (and prep event) or write a letter to the Minister of Finance calling for investment now. We can’t afford any more delay.