On the heels of a summer devastated by wildfires, smoke, and evacuations, the Manitoba government released its new Net-Zero Roadmap today. The Roadmap makes some encouraging new commitments and highlights the centrality of Indigenous leadership in a just transition, but whether it makes a significant dent in emissions will be determined by the action plans and investments to come.
Importantly, the plan commits to creating a dedicated Climate Change Committee of Cabinet, developing and legislating emissions reduction targets, and leveraging government operations and public procurement as a primary tool in the transition. It also recommits to a net-zero electricity grid by 2035, and indicates support for greater investments in public transportation, energy storage, sustainable agriculture practices, and energy efficiency. Other significant pledges include developing stronger building codes and labelling, Indigenous-led wildfire response, climate change curriculum, and waste diversion practices.
At the same time, there are several concerning proposals and gaps in the Roadmap. Firstly, there is indication that the Province will not prioritize emissions reductions until after 2030, despite electrification plummeting in cost in recent years. It also signals support for inefficient, costly, and likely unscalable technologies such as hydrogen, “renewable fuels,” and carbon capture. (There may be highly specific uses for these but they should not be banked on for generalized use.) Finally, it does not indicate plans to make significant public investments, instead seeming to rely on the goal of incentivizing private financing, which risks greatly undermining the coordination, cost-effectiveness, and speed of deployment.
“Manitoba will not make significant emissions reductions without significant public investments,” says Laura Cameron, Climate Action Team Director. “The Net-Zero Roadmap sets some good intentions, but it must be followed swiftly by specific action plans and substantial public investment in Budget 2026 if it’s going to have any impact.”
Ultimately, the high-level proposals in this strategy must be well-funded, swiftly implemented, and scaled up in conjunction with updated and transparent modelling if they are to meet the gravity of the climate crisis and the opportunity for Manitoba to take a clear leadership role in confronting it. This cannot be done successfully while trying to balance the budget. It also cannot be meaningfully advanced while increasing fossil fuel exports, as proposed through the Port of Churchill, which would likely neutralize any emissions reductions that Manitoba achieves from this strategy.
We are halfway through a vital decade for climate action. While the government is undoubtedly balancing many priorities, major concerns like energy sovereignty, inflation, and job creation can also be best addressed through a just transition to a zero-emissions economy. This strategy signals the immense potential of such a transition, but gaps in targets, timelines, and public investments—along with irresponsible advocacy to further expand fossil fuel infrastructure—must be addressed for Manitoba to be a leader on climate action. The first step to rectify these issues must be the development and legislation of interim emissions targets for 2030 and 2035.