Ivan Normandeau, President of Eco-West Canada (EWC) and the Association of Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (AMBM), issued this statement following Natural Resources Canada’s (NRCan) announcement of new electric vehicle (EV) charging stations for Manitoba and Saskatchewan on July 12th, 2022:
On this #EVWeek, we applaud this announcement of new EV charging stations for Manitoba and Saskatchewan. This infrastructure will support our communities’ commitment and efforts to build a sustainable economy and a better quality of life, as well as increase their attractiveness. Together with the federal government, we are taking another step to actively contribute to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
We thank Terry Duguid, Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South (Manitoba) and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, who announced, on behalf of the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources (NRCan, a total investment of $2.5 million for the installation of up to 400 EV chargers in both provinces. By February 2023, these charging stations will be installed in our communities (streets, public places, building parking lots, etc.).
Eco-West Canada (EWC) will actively support the installation of the chargers by coordinating the selection of recipients through a transparent, demand-driven process.
Through its results-based approach, EWC is active in the green economy on multiple fronts, from measurement to strategy, to the implementation of clean technologies and sustainable infrastructure.
Through its Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program (ZEVIP), NRCan is renewing its confidence in EWC’s leading-edge expertise, local knowledge, and action leadership. In February 2022, the department invested $300,000 with EWC to develop and deploy a series of webinars and workshops to increase and accelerate the shift to zero-emission vehicles on the Canadian Prairies.
These initiatives are directly in line with our Municipal Economic Recovery Strategy, which calls for $222.4 million in investments in sustainable development infrastructure within Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities by 2024. They demonstrate the value of a winning federal-municipal partnership to build sustainable and prosperous communities. By working together, all three orders of government will make a compelling case for a greener economy and for the sustainability of our communities.
A non-profit subsidiary of the AMBM, EWC has partnered with the Government of Canada since 2008 to educate and support small and medium-sized municipalities in Western Canada and other provinces in their transition to sustainable green practices using innovative environmental technologies.
Information: Office of the Chief Executive Officer (O-CEO), 204-289-4077, [email protected].
