AMBM President, Mr. Ivan Normandeau, issued the following statement following the partnership announcement between Efficiency Manitoba and Éco-Ouest Canada:

We applaud the winning partnership between Efficiency Manitoba and our subsidiary Eco-West Canada (EWC) that will allow three bilingual municipalities (Village of St. Pierre-Jolys, Rural Municipality of De Salaberry and Local Urban District of Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes through the Rural Municipality of Lorne) to access EWC’s expertise and resources to optimize their energy efficiency.

This partnership builds on the extensive know-how developed by EWC, who has been assisting many municipalities in the Canadian Prairies in their energy transition since 2008.

It is also a good first step, as our Economic Recovery Strategy calls for the creation of three satellite offices for EWC to provide ongoing support to rural bilingual municipalities in Manitoba with qualified resources in the regions. In addition, the same strategy calls for investments of over $222 million in sustainable development infrastructure over the next few years.

Municipalities are the first to be hit hard by the economic and human costs of climate change impacts. They need support to build capacity to better prepare for extreme weather, reduce their carbon footprint and practice environmentally responsible economic development.

Our municipalities are ambitious in their commitment to actively participate in meeting Manitoba’s and Canada’s greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. We will continue to partner with the Province to move the climate agenda forward and provide our members with the capacity to act and be part of the solutions.

Information: Office of the Chief Executive Officer (O-CEO), 204-289-4077, [email protected].