On January 17th, 2024, members of the AMBM Group’s leadership team, Mr. Justin Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of the AMBM, and Mr. Dany Robidoux, Executive Director of Eco-West Canada (EWC), met with the Honourable Tracy Schmidt, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Efficiency Manitoba.
The objective of the meeting was to provide a more in-depth presentation of the AMBM Group and its strength for the Manitoba economy, in particular its subsidiary Eco-West Canada (EWC), a key partner of the Province of Manitoba for the implementation of major projects in support of the energy transition.
The AMBM highlighted the fact that EWC is a partner of choice to support municipal governments in implementing concrete measures to reduce their GHG emissions, adapt to climate change and increase their use of clean energy sources. Thanks to its expertise and pragmatic approach, EWC ensures that public decision-makers achieve measurable results, in addition to generating multiple leveraging effects involving the federal government for the funding of key infrastructure.
The AMBM reiterated its wish to see the partnership between the Province and EWC maintained, so that EWC can pursue its goal of mobilizing municipalities in this key sector of Manitoba’s economy.
The AMBM underscored the Manitoba government’s desire—in its November 2023 Speech from the Throne—to become a leader in decarbonizing its economy, while confirming to Minister Schmidt that EWC and the AMBM Group will be there to support the achievement of this legitimate ambition. This theme is also addressed in the Notice on the 16 Strategic Priorities of Manitoba’s Bilingual Municipal Leadership published by the AMBM in September 2023.
Minister Schmidt confirmed her intention to continue collaborating with EWC and to work together to invest the necessary efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change and deploy the resilience required to face its consequences. The Minister applauded EWC’s leadership and innovation in preparing the ground for Manitoba municipalities.
In closing, the parties confirmed the alignment of their values, as well as their mutual interest in continuing to work together to build ever more sustainable, resilient and green Manitoba communities, for an ever stronger and more prosperous Manitoba.
The AMBM is the voice of bilingual municipal leadership in the province of Manitoba. It represents 15 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 head 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. These three complementary organizations actively contribute to the development, vitality and sustainability of the province’s Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs) and of the province as a whole.
Information: Office of the Chief Executive Officer (O-CEO), 204-289-4077, [email protected].
