Interview with Andrea Merredew, Acting Executive Director and Juliane Schaible, Industry Consultant, the Climate and Green Initiatives Branch, Manitoba Government.

[Newsletter] Can you describe some of the programs that Manitoba is currently working on and planning for the near future?

[Andrea] We just recently released our Climate Change action Plan, entitled Beyond Kyoto, Manitoba’s Green Future. In this action plan we outlined over 60 actions that the province is going to take between now and 2012 to reduce our emissions and help us adapt to this changing climate. We have broken it down by sector, so there is business, energy, agriculture, transport, municipalities—we even have a plan for greening government. The plan also identifies things individuals can do in their own life, at home. We have a top ten list of activities for people to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

[Juliane] One of the actions you will find listed is the Manitoba Climate Action Portal, which will be renamed the Green Registry. It is a web-based tool that will allow businesses to identify everything from how they should take action, to what service providers such as validaters to verifiers to help them do that. The portal includes calculators to measure your greenhouse gas footprint and a showcasing capability that businesses will be able to promote the actions that they have taken. The showcase tool allows businesses to peruse a list of success stories and find out what others have done either with a particular issue they wanted to address or a similar company in the same industry sector as they’re in. The portal will also lead into a registry which will allow companies to actually engage in a process that will end with a carbon trading platform allowing businesses to buy and or sell CO2 credits.

Another action we are taking is developing a network of business people in the province who will meet with the Minister and provide him with some input from their perspective regarding climate change and how it should be addressed. This will begin a two-way conversation with business broadly defined and the government to identify how we can create a low carbon economy in the province of Manitoba by giving a direct voice from the corporate sector to the ministry.

[Newsletter] Why did Manitoba chose to participate in the WCI instead of, for example, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), based in the US Northeast?

[Juliane] I can help you understand that RGGI, which is an east coast trading system, is focused on power plants, they are utilities exclusively. The WCI is attempting to create broad based cap-and-trade. It has a better opportunity to both reduce GHG in the region, but also to become more efficient in the market mechanism that it is. So by spreading out the activity, you also spread out some of the risks and opportunities, allowing more people the opportunity to benefit from the system.

[Newsletter] More and more provinces are demonstrating that the Harper government’s Turning the Corner plan is not an adequate program to address Climate Change and are working independently of the federal government. Can you describe the main difference in the approach Manitoba is taking through both the WCI and its own initiatives compared with the federal government?

[Andrea] I would start by saying Manitoba is working both with the federal government on the regulatory framework as well as the WCI, and will continue to work on both. Manitoba’s goal was to reduce GHG emissions within the province, to transition to a low carbon economy and to provide economic opportunities here at home in the process. However we go about doing that, we want Manitoba’s interests to be reflected. The WCI does present opportunities for us—it’s an opportunity to share best practices, it’s an opportunity to set firm emissions targets, developing a regional cap-and-trade system, adopting a standard similar to California. This is something that we want to be involved in; we want to be on the ground for. There are only three provinces in Canada that are currently WCI partners, so we are really happy to be involved in that. It doesn’t mean we aren’t engaged with the federal government and that we don’t support a national framework here in Canada.

[Newsletter] Do you anticipate there will be complications arising from having a number of programs overlapping?

[Juliane] Ultimately, it shouldn’t. In any case, the regional objective will either meet or exceed the Canadian one. The benefit is that we create a much larger trading region in this and an entity that businesses can depend on. If you speak to industry, that is what they are saying over and over again, “For heaven’s sake, make sure that this captures as much of my market space as possible.” We continue to work within a Canadian context, but try to forward the effort in a global context through the WCI and international climate action partnership.

[Newsletter] How will provinces and states that neglect to sign onto the WCI be affected?

[Juliane] In 2009, when the new US presidential team comes into power, given the commitment leading candidates have towards a cap-and-trade system, there will be a very strong market push in North America towards this system. For provinces that have gone on their own (i.e. Alberta) or are not as actively involved as others (i.e. Saskatchewan), this will provide greater certainty. They can either choose how to participate or they can roll up into a Canadian national system that is acknowledging the growing North American markets. Even the Canadian government has expressed interest in the cap-and-trade system, it’s just they are not timing it as quickly as the provinces and states. It’s all a question of timing.

[Newsletter] What advice do you have for businesses?

[Juliane] The sooner businesses can start to measure their GHG emissions profile, the better prepared they will be to address whatever the new market system turns out to be. Anybody in any jurisdiction can start, regardless of their provincial or federal GHG plan. Nobody has to wait.

[Newsletter] How might Manitoba’s plans and the larger WCI eventually sync up with national or international cap-and-trade markets and climate action, including the actions expected to be taken by the next US leader likely to influence Canadian action?

[Juliane] Manitoba is not only engaged with the discussion at a federal level, but is also a member of the WCI and the Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Accord. We are a bridge to connect these different systems and international efforts. The Climate Registry is a tool that creates a common platform. The International Climate Action Partnership is an effort by leading jurisdictions to ensure there is active and real time communication amongst all the developing systems. This is all still in development and we are trying to learn as much as we can from different experiences that are being registered in the different systems and ultimately trying to be harmonized and consistent around the globe.

[Andrea] In addition to the commitments that Manitoba has made to these regional agreements, we also have, as I indicated earlier, domestic policies and programs, such as our recent Climate Plan and Bill 15, our Climate Change and Emissions Reduction Act, which makes Manitoba the first province in Canada and the first regional jurisdiction to legislate the Kyoto target. Manitoba is moving aggressively, even within the province, to reduce emissions. The WCI target of 15 per cent below 2020, Manitoba will meet it by 2012 through our own targets.