The quest for a zero GHG emission province : can Manitoba offer Ontario energy lessons?

Total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Canada increased by 20 per cent from 1990 to 2000, despite many initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the Climate Change Action Fund launched in 1998 and Action Plan 2000 on Climate Change. New technologies and distributed network management have created opportunities for conservation and renewable energy supplies to reduce GHG emissions. Ontario's plan to close its coal-fired power plants by 2007 and the aging of its nuclear power plants has resulted in the immediate need for investment into about 20,000 MW of electricity capacity over the next decade. Proponents of green energy are calling for a shift from fossil and nuclear power to renewable energy sources. Manitoba has also launched an energy plan with a goal of net zero emissions. It plans to attain this goal by reducing fossil fuel consumption and increasing the use of renewables. The province has also created new energy efficiency standards and has promoted wind, hydroelectricity, biofuels, geothermal heat pumps and electricity exports. This paper reviewed Manitoba's energy initiatives and considered them as options for Ontario. It was concluded that Manitoba's strategy to link its energy and economic development has created opportunities and lessons for other jurisdictions to move toward sustainable development. 22 refs., 2 tabs., 3 figs