It has been touted as a made-in-Manitoba environmental plan that will encompass five separate pieces of legislation and will act as a “blueprint” for building a green economy, preserving ecosystems and protecting Manitoba’s water.
“Our goal is to reduce carbon emissions, keep jobs here and stimulate innovation in clean energy, our economy and workforce,” Sustainable Development Minister Rochelle Squires said.
The climate and green plan implementation act will include a new climate and green plan act to replace the Climate Change and Emissions Reduction Act. The act will also include separate acts for industrial greenhouse-gas emissions control reporting, amendments to the water protection, Income Tax and Fuel Tax acts.
The new legislation will allow for the implementation of Manitoba’s version of the carbon tax and create other initiatives such as the Climate and Green Fund that will manage a $40 million fund that will be made available for projects in the province that are designed to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change.
[jaw_quote author=”Rochelle Squires” ]We’re providing a blueprint for Manitoba to build a prosperous green economy[/jaw_quote][jaw_clear]
Greenhouse Gas Emission limits for regulated industrial facilities will be implemented and operators of those facilities will be held accountable if they exceed those limits. Fuel products would be subject to the $25-per-tonne carbon tax under the Fuel Tax Amendment Act. This will add about 5.6 cents per litre to gasoline prices at the pump after GST is factored in.
The province says that they will return all revenue collected through the carbon tax, about $248 million per year, to Manitobans over the next four years through things like personal income tax relief, small business tax reductions and reducing the retail sales tax to 7% by 2020.
The minister also said that an advisory group will be created to help determine priority projects for emissions and carbon reduction in Manitoba.
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