On January 13th, 2025, members of the AMBM Group leadership team, including Mr. Justin Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of the AMBM, and Mr. Dany Robidoux, Executive Director of Eco-West Canada (EWC), along with their counterpart from Saskatchewan, Mr. Jean-Marc Nadeau, Executive Director of the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA) and Board Member of Eco-West Canada, met with the Honorable Tracy Schmidt, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, and Mr. Mike Moyes, Legislative Assistant to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
The purpose of this meeting was to highlight the work carried out by Eco-West Canada (EWC), a subsidiary of the AMBM Group, and to reaffirm its role as a key partner of the Manitoba government in the green economy sector, supporting the implementation of the Manitoba Affordable Energy Plan.
EWC reaffirmed its commitment to being a trusted partner for municipal governments in implementing concrete measures to reduce their GHG emissions, adapt to climate change, and plan long-term, enabling Manitoba communities to ensure sustainable development while strengthening their climate resilience.
Moreover, rural communities in Manitoba are particularly affected by the impacts of climate change. However, their capacities to cope remain limited. They therefore need support for long-term planning to build environmentally responsible communities.
In this regard, EWC plays a key role in leveraging access to green infrastructure funding, in collaboration with the federal government and our partners at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), notably through the Green Municipal Fund (GMF).
EWC also facilitates intergovernmental coordination of climate priorities. In this context, EWC brings a pragmatic and effective approach to sustainable economic development. EWC wishes to collaborate with the Manitoba government to strengthen municipal capacities to adapt to climate change.
Thanks to its leadership, EWC has signed an agreement with SUMA to support member municipalities wishing to develop sustainable and green infrastructure projects. This strength is recognized by the department.
The AMBM reiterated its desire to see the partnership between the Manitoba government and EWC strengthened, so that EWC can continue its mission of mobilizing municipalities in this critical sector of the Manitoba economy. EWC aims to be a strategic partner in making Manitoba a leader in the green economy.
The Minister praised the work and innovative spirit of EWC in effectively supporting Manitoba municipalities, while expressing her desire to continue this collaboration to build more sustainable, resilient, and green Manitoba communities, for a stronger and more prosperous Manitoba.
The AMBM is the voice of bilingual municipal leadership in the province of Manitoba. It represents 16 local governments committed to providing services in both official languages to their citizens. Together, these municipalities represent the majority of Manitoba’s population. Manitoba’s bilingual municipal leadership is also at the helm of the AMBM Group, a consortium of three complementary organizations: the AMBM, the Economic Development Council of Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (Conseil de développement économique des municipalités bilingues du Manitoba, or CDEM) and Eco-West Canada (EWC), which specializes in the green economy. Complementary, these three organizations actively contribute to the development, vitality and sustainability of the province’s Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs).
Information: Office of the Chief Executive Officer (O-CEO), 204-289-4077, bcdd-oceo@ambm.ca.
