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The analysis finds that potential nutrient loads from peat mining operations represent a small proportion of the yearly phosphorus and nitrogen loads to Lake Winnipeg, with total loads from all Manitoba lease holdings not exceeding 12 tonnes P yr-1 and 449 tonnes N yr-1. Greenhouse gas emissions from land-use change due to active mines in Manitoba are estimated not to exceed 13.47 tonnes CO2e ha-1 yr-1, with total emissions from all current lease holdings in the province not exceeding 0.4 million tonnes CO2e yr-1.

The report examines the role of Netley-Libau Marsh in mitigating phosphorus overloading in Lake Winnipeg. It finds that total phosphorus concentrations in the marsh significantly exceed Manitoba Water Quality Guidelines. The study estimates current phosphorus and nitrogen storage in plants and sediment, suggesting that a 25 per cent restoration of cattail and other marsh plants could increase storage potential by 130 tonnes of phosphorus and 500 tonnes of nitrogen.

The report assesses the environmental impact of peat mining in Manitoba, specifically focusing on the Interlake region. It estimates that nutrient leaching from all current peat lease holdings would contribute between 0.02% and 0.35% of total annual phosphorus and 0.04% to 0.87% of total annual nitrogen loads to Lake Winnipeg. Greenhouse gas emissions from land-use change due to peat extraction are estimated to be no more than 0.4 million tonnes CO2e per year, representing approximately 2% of Manitoba's total annual emissions. The document concludes that a cumulative environmental assessment (CEA) is an appropriate methodology for managing these activities and suggests mitigation strategies such as carbon credit trading, immediate post-extraction restoration, and the use of sedimentation ponds and constructed wetlands.

The document advocates for strategic large-basin management in the Lake Winnipeg/Nelson River basins to address climate change, flooding, drought, and nutrient loading. It suggests that integrating ecosystem services into a basin-wide framework, such as the strategic management of upstream wetlands, can optimize power generation and environmental health. The submission references the Columbia River and Murray-Darling River basins as successful examples of transboundary management for multiple benefits.

The report highlights Lake Winnipeg's extreme vulnerability to upstream pressures due to its very low volume relative to its massive drainage basin. It argues that managing the lake in isolation is insufficient and recommends a transboundary, basin-wide framework that treats land as 'ecological infrastructure.' By implementing distributed storage and wetland restoration, the region can mitigate floods, capture nutrients, and buffer against climate change while supporting hydroelectric generation. The document draws on case studies from the Columbia River and Murray-Darling basins to illustrate how integrated water resources management (IWRM) and ecosystem services can balance competing economic and environmental needs.

The report presents survey results from 1,015 Manitoba adults on boreal forest conservation. It finds that while a majority support a balance between development and conservation, there is a strong preference for protecting the bulk of the forest, with 63% believing the province should protect more than 50% of its boreal forests. Trust in conservation organizations is high, while trust in government and industry is low. Most respondents prioritize clean air, water, and wildlife conservation over resource extraction like mining and logging.

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) conducted trials in 2012 using commercial grain and forage equipment to harvest cattails from ditches and Pelly’s Lake in Manitoba. The project successfully harvested nearly 300 tonnes of biomass, removing an estimated 240 kilograms of phosphorus. The results demonstrated that conventional equipment can be used for biomass feedstock collection, though efficiency is heavily dependent on water level management and weather conditions. Harvested materials were sent to Saskatchewan for biocarbon production and agricultural trials.

The document serves as a guide for public and stakeholder consultations to update Manitoba's climate strategy. It reviews the province's failure to meet its 2012 GHG reduction targets, analyzes sectoral emission drivers—notably the high relative contribution of agriculture—and proposes principles for a new plan that integrates mitigation with a stronger focus on adaptation. It also highlights opportunities for a green economy based on Manitoba's clean energy resources and bioproducts potential.

The document outlines Manitoba's current emissions profile, its history of climate action, and the need for a new integrated plan for mitigation and adaptation. It examines policies from other jurisdictions regarding larger emitters and proposes principles for Manitoba's future strategy, including the development of mandatory GHG reporting regulations.

The document outlines the context for Manitoba's transition to a new climate change and green economy plan, highlighting the province's emissions profile and the critical role of peatlands. It identifies transportation and agriculture as the largest emission sources and discusses the potential for peatlands to either sequester carbon or release GHGs depending on management. The paper also reviews climate policies in other jurisdictions and proposes principles for the new provincial strategy, emphasizing the integration of adaptation and mitigation.

The document outlines the current state of greenhouse gas emissions in Manitoba, identifying the transportation sector as the largest source at 38% of total emissions in 2012. It highlights the vulnerability of provincial infrastructure to extreme weather, such as the CAD$1.2 billion cost of the 2011 flood and the instability of winter roads. The paper reviews climate policies from other jurisdictions—including electric vehicle programs in Vancouver and green trucking in Quebec—to provide a basis for developing a new integrated plan that balances mitigation and adaptation while fostering a green economy.

The report details a pilot study using the ADAPTool to assess 15 mining-related policies across Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The analysis focused on climate change stressors—specifically drought, excessive moisture, and increased temperatures—across four mining phases: exploring and siting, development, operations, and closure and remediation. In Manitoba, 37 vulnerabilities and 48 adaptation actions were identified, while Saskatchewan identified 44 vulnerabilities and 66 adaptation actions. The findings indicate a lack of policy support for transportation and building-related actions, as well as an inadequate use of foresighting and scenario planning to integrate mitigation measures into mining policies despite significant climate risks.

The document details a pilot study using the ADAPTool to assess six mining policies in Manitoba. The analysis found that most policies partially contribute to adaptation needs and respond well to unanticipated events, but lack formalized self-organization tools and have not undergone a formal review process since the early 1990s.

The document outlines the current state of greenhouse gas emissions in Manitoba, highlighting that the transportation and agriculture sectors are the largest contributors. It reviews previous efforts, such as the Beyond Kyoto plan, and examines climate policies in other jurisdictions like Quebec, British Columbia, and Sweden to inform a new provincial strategy. The paper emphasizes the need to integrate adaptation and mitigation, particularly for the vulnerable agriculture and water sectors, and proposes a set of guiding principles for the new plan. It concludes with a questionnaire designed to gather stakeholder input on barriers, opportunities, and capacity-building needs for reducing emissions and enhancing resilience in Manitoba.

The document outlines Manitoba's current emissions profile, the shortcomings of its previous 'Beyond Kyoto' plan, and the goals for a new integrated approach to climate mitigation and adaptation. It emphasizes the role of the energy and building sectors in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing resilience to extreme weather. The paper also reviews climate policies in other Canadian jurisdictions and proposes guiding principles for the new provincial strategy, including the development of mandatory GHG reporting for large emitters.

Manitoba's winter road system, essential for remote communities, faced reduced operational windows in the late 1990s and early 2000s due to warmer winters, resulting in additional costs of $15 million to $18 million for air transport of goods. To address this, the province implemented a resilience strategy involving the relocation of roads away from water bodies and the construction of overland routes. The success of these adaptations was attributed to policy coherence with northern development strategies, the use of scientific temperature projections, stakeholder engagement, the inherent flexibility of annually rebuilt roads, and a risk-management framing of the issue.

The report synthesizes the results of applying the ADAPTool in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia. It examines 27 policies across agriculture, forestry, water, and parks management to determine their ability to support adaptation measures and their general adaptability to future changes.

The report details the use of the ADAPTool to assess the adaptability of three existing forestry policies and a developing wetlands policy in Manitoba. While the tool provided recommendations to improve forestry policy adaptability, it was deemed less useful for the wetlands policy because that policy had already been in development for several years, though it did identify potential co-benefits.

The report details the 'Lake Winnipeg Bioeconomy Project', which investigates the use of cattail (Typha spp.) as a sustainable biomass feedstock. Through pilot harvests at Pelly’s Lake, Manitoba, the study demonstrates that using a rotary disc mower with conditioning rolls improves harvesting efficiency and drying times, enabling the use of large square balers. The harvested biomass was processed into solid fuel cubes and biocarbon (biochar), with the latter showing a higher heating value (31.41 MJ/kg) than wheat straw biocarbon (23.75 MJ/kg). Nutrient analysis indicates that cattail ash can serve as a potassium-rich fertilizer, though its phosphorus is largely insoluble at neutral pH. The report estimates the total cattail biomass resource in southern Manitoba between 2.7 and 5.4 megatonnes per year.

The document reports a significant decline in federal political will to regulate carbon emissions in Canada during 2013, specifically noting the delay of oil and gas regulations. In contrast, provinces took leading roles: Ontario phased out coal-fired electricity, Quebec launched a cap-and-trade system linked to California, and British Columbia maintained its carbon tax. The brief highlights the 'Keystone effect,' where U.S. market access for the Keystone XL pipeline became linked to Canada's GHG performance. It concludes that federal 'equivalency' agreements—intended to align provincial and federal standards—have stalled due to complexity and lack of political will, recommending that Canada embrace a bottom-up approach to subnational policy alignment.