Natural Infrastructure and Prairie Prosperity

The natural infrastructure sector in the Canadian Prairies contributed over CAD 4.1 billion to GDP and employed over 33,000 people directly in 2022. In Manitoba, the sector directly employed over 5,700 people and contributed over CAD 540 million to the provincial economy in 2022. Investment scenarios for Manitoba suggest that annual investments of CAD 10 million or CAD 25 million could increase direct jobs by 8% to 21% and direct GDP by 7% to 17%. Similar growth potentials are identified for Alberta and Saskatchewan, where natural infrastructure is viewed as a means to bridge water infrastructure gaps and increase resilience against floods, droughts, and wildfires.

• In 2022, the natural infrastructure sector across the Canadian Prairies (Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba) directly employed more than 33,000 people and contributed over CAD 4.1 billion to the region's GDP. When accounting for direct, indirect, and induced effects, the sector's GDP contribution reached CAD 7 billion and supported over 58,000 jobs.
• Manitoba's natural infrastructure sector directly employed over 5,700 people and contributed over CAD 540 million to the provincial economy in 2022. Including indirect and induced impacts, the sector employed over 9,500 people and generated CAD 925 million in GDP.
• Investment scenarios for Manitoba indicate that an annual investment of CAD 10 million would increase direct jobs by 8% and direct GDP by 7%, while an annual investment of CAD 25 million would increase direct jobs by 21% and direct GDP by 17%.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2023). Natural Infrastructure and Prairie Prosperity. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-11/natural-infrastructure-prairie-prosperity-manitoba.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Natural Infrastructure and Prairie Prosperity. 2023. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-11/natural-infrastructure-prairie-prosperity-manitoba.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Natural Infrastructure and Prairie Prosperity |date=2023 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-11/natural-infrastructure-prairie-prosperity-manitoba.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2023natural, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Natural Infrastructure and Prairie Prosperity}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2023}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-11/natural-infrastructure-prairie-prosperity-manitoba.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }