TomorrowNow Manitoba: Dialogues toward strengthening Manitoba’s bioeconomy

This report documents a policy dialogue session held on December 3, 2013, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, focused on strengthening the province's bioeconomy as part of the 'TomorrowNow: Manitoba’s Green Plan'. The session, hosted by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the University of Winnipeg, identified Manitoba's biomass richness as a key opportunity and outlined various regulatory, economic, and infrastructural barriers to growth, alongside proposed government actions to facilitate a transition to a low-carbon economy.

• Manitoba possesses significant biomass resources that offer opportunities for sustainable economic development, specifically through agricultural residue, forestry residue, cattails, and prairie grass. The province produces approximately 5.8 million tonnes of cellulosic biomass annually from agriculture, with an additional 8.3 million tonnes potentially available from wetland grass and cattail harvests.
• The Canadian bioeconomy is a rapidly growing sector, valued at approximately CAD$80 billion and representing the second largest bioeconomy per capita globally, with a growth rate of 12 per cent between 2007 and 2011.
• Several systemic barriers hinder the expansion of Manitoba's bioeconomy, including static regulations, competition from low-priced fossil fuels and natural gas, and a 'commercialization gap' where biomass industries struggle to bring products to market. Additionally, high transportation costs—accounting for 35 to 50 per cent of total biofuel production costs—and a lack of skilled labour are significant challenges.
• Participants recommended that the Government of Manitoba implement specific policy tools to stimulate the sector, such as carbon, phosphorus, or water quality pricing, and the creation of a 'green fund' to finance research and development. Other suggested actions include regulatory streamlining (a 'green tape' review), establishing energy procurement targets for renewable energy, and developing a comprehensive province-wide biomass inventory.
• The report highlights the role of biorefineries as a major element for expanding the bioeconomy, noting that Manitoba's leading biorefinery is located in Minnedosa. Expanding these capabilities is seen as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve water quality, and boost rural economies.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2014). TomorrowNow Manitoba: Dialogues toward strengthening Manitoba’s bioeconomy. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/tomorrow_now_bioeconomy.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. TomorrowNow Manitoba: Dialogues toward strengthening Manitoba’s bioeconomy. 2014. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/tomorrow_now_bioeconomy.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=TomorrowNow Manitoba: Dialogues toward strengthening Manitoba’s bioeconomy |date=January 2014 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/tomorrow_now_bioeconomy.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2014tomorrownow, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{TomorrowNow Manitoba: Dialogues toward strengthening Manitoba’s bioeconomy}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2014}, month = jan, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/tomorrow_now_bioeconomy.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }