Eco-West Canada (EWC) issued the following press release following Natural Resources Canada’s announcement of support for Manitoba’s electric vehicle charging network, this Tuesday, March 16, 2021:
Natural Resources Canada is investing $155,000 to install 31 Level 2 chargers for electric vehicles (EVs) in the City of Winnipeg and several rural municipalities in southern Manitoba. This investment will provide Canadians with access to the latest technologies that will fuel our transition to a low-carbon economy and reduce pollution, as part of Canada’s commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
Eco-West Canada will be responsible for implementing this initiative. Based in Winnipeg since 2008, Eco- West Canada is a national, non-profit organization that specializes in the sustainable economic development of small and medium-sized municipalities. Eco-West is part of the AMBM Group and operates under the aegis of Manitoba’s bilingual municipal leadership.
“We are pleased with this direct and strengthened federal-municipal partnership. The project showcases the unique expertise developed by Eco-West Canada, which brings together the green economy and the municipal world. As the level of government closest to citizens, municipalities are key allies in the federal government’s sustainable economic recovery plan,” said Ivan Normandeau, president of Eco- West Canada and the Association of Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (AMBM).
To deliver on this project, Eco-West Canada is also collaborating with the City of Winnipeg as well as several municipal jurisdictions in southern and central Manitoba including the Rural Municipality of Alexander, the Town of Niverville and the Village of Dunnottar, among others.
“We are giving Canadians the greener options they want to get to where they need to go,” says the Honourable Seamus O’Regan Jr., Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources. This is how we get to net zero by 2050.”
“The implementation of this regional project will involve a wide range of Manitoba expertise in terms of products and services. Our goal is to maximize the economic benefits for the various municipal partners and the province as a whole,” explains Dany Robidoux, Executive Director of Eco-West Canada.
Funding for this project comes from the Zero Emissions Vehicle Infrastructure Program (ZEVIP), which supports the federal government’s ambitious goal of having 100% of light-duty vehicles sold by 2040 to be zero-emission vehicles. To achieve this goal, the federal government will invest more than $300 million in the deployment of a Canada-wide network of electric vehicle chargers.
The new EV infrastructure will enable electric car owners to drive and charge their vehicles across the country. Funding is also being provided for the demonstration of next generation charging technologies and the development of enabling codes and standards. The federal government remains committed to investing in green infrastructure projects that will facilitate the adoption of zero-emission vehicles for Canadians and help them in their transition to a low-carbon future.
Information: Michel Forest, Eco-West Canada Canada (EWC), 204-806-4035, [email protected].
