TomorrowNow Manitoba: Dialogues toward a green economy

This report documents a policy dialogue session held on October 4, 2013, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, to assist the Government of Manitoba in developing a green economy action plan as part of its 'TomorrowNow' climate change plan. The session, facilitated by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the University of Winnipeg, identified key sectors for transition, existing barriers, and necessary policy tools to enhance the province's competitiveness in a global market shifting away from resource-intensive products.

• Manitoba is positioned to leverage specific natural and technical assets to support a green economy at both local and global scales, including its water resources, renewable energy, hydroelectricity, bioproducts, the transportation sector, and specialized expertise in green building for extremely cold climates.
• The transition to a green economy in Manitoba should prioritize four main sectors: water, energy, transportation, and the built environment. Within transportation, Winnipeg's 20,000 acres of inland port provide a unique opportunity to lead in smarter land use and local transportation frameworks.
• Several barriers hinder the energy and water sectors, including low consumer literacy regarding energy policy, a lack of specialized labor for tasks like energy auditing and carbon footprint management, and the inaccurate valuation of water in economic calculations.
• The built environment sector faces obstacles such as the absence of a standardized building code for energy and water performance, limited access to upfront capital for retrofitting, and the exclusion of rentals and multi-resident buildings from sustainability policies.
• Proposed policy tools to enable the green transition include renewable energy performance standards, sustainable procurement standards, public finance to mitigate high upfront costs, workforce training, and the use of public-private coalitions.
• Rural municipalities with low population density face specific challenges, including limited budgets for green construction and insurance policies that restrict small-scale innovation.
• Case studies within the province demonstrate the viability of green initiatives: the Manitoba Hydro headquarters achieves a 67 per cent annual energy saving, and a biomass heating initiative at Providence University College and Seminary has resulted in an 80 per cent reduction in natural gas use.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2013). TomorrowNow Manitoba: Dialogues toward a green economy. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/tommorow_now_mb_green_economy.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. TomorrowNow Manitoba: Dialogues toward a green economy. 2013. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/tommorow_now_mb_green_economy.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=TomorrowNow Manitoba: Dialogues toward a green economy |date=October 2013 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/tommorow_now_mb_green_economy.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2013tomorrownow, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{TomorrowNow Manitoba: Dialogues toward a green economy}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2013}, month = oct, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/tommorow_now_mb_green_economy.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }