Becoming ‘Environmentally Friendly’ Manitoba

Fort Rouge

Last month, our government introduced Manitoba’s Path to Net Zero, our strategy to protect the environment and reach net zero emissions by 2050. This strategy is guided by the traditions and teachings of manoomin, or wild rice.

In many Indigenous cultures, including Anishinaabe culture, when you take something from the land you make an offering back, to honour the impact you had on the environment. We do this because, in Anishinaabe culture, humans are not separate from the environment. Instead, we are the least important of all living things. Making an offering is a way of saying that we understand we are part of a web of relationships. And when we have an impact on the environment, we have a responsibility to make it whole again.

This teaching applies to every one of us. The actions we take, whether we are driving to work, heating our homes, or building our economy, are always going to have an impact on the world around us. The question is: how we are able to offset this impact? How do we make sure the environment is safe, clean, and healthy for the next generation?

This is the question at the heart of Manitoba’s Path to Net Zero. As Manitobans, we want to protect our environment. I think about the people of Fort Rouge — the person walking down Corydon or Osborne to grab a coffee, the family biking along the river trails near Churchill Drive, the folks catching a bus after work. You all want to do the climate-friendly thing. The challenge is making those choices practical and affordable. That’s why our strategy focuses on making climate-friendly options accessible to everyone.

A greener Manitoba means healthier air for our kids, lower energy costs for families, and good jobs in the low-carbon economy. It means building partnerships with Indigenous Nations to develop wind power projects and nature-based solutions. And it means making the climate-friendly choice more affordable, so we can bring the working person along with us.

As we move toward net zero by 2050, let’s keep that original teaching in mind —when we have an impact, we make an offering. When we build, we also restore. Together, we can make sure Fort Rouge, and all of Manitoba, remains a place where the next generations can thrive.

If you want to connect with us about our life here in Fort Rouge, you can find us at 2-565 Osborne Street, call us at 204-615-1922, or email me at wab.kinew@yourmanitoba.ca