On Nov. 22nd, Winnipeg City Council’s Standing Policy Committee of Water, Waste and the Environment met to discuss a report on tools and mechanisms for phasing out natural gas use.
The report represents one of the first major asks of Winnipeg’s Climate Action and Resilience Committee, a citizen group designed to help Winnipeg achieve its goal of net zero by 2050.
The intention of the report was to direct the public service to begin investigating the City of Winnipeg’s capacity for climate resilience through jurisdiction, grant programs, by-laws, zoning and permitting and land use planning.
During the meeting, many individuals came forward to show their widespread support for this first step in climate action. This support was seen in several delegations, including representatives from Seniors for Climate Manitoba, BizforClimate and Stand.earth, as well as 18 testimonies submitted to the City.
“Please take a moment to ask yourself what you want for future generations,” Pat Wally of Seniors for Climate Manitoba says. “Today, you can start making additions [to climate action] by commissioning this study.”
Further speakers brought research demonstrating precedence set by other cities in Canada, such as Montreal and Toronto, who have already implemented measures to phase out natural gas. Others said that phasing out was not enough and that the City should be looking at phasing in new technologies such as geothermal.
However, the final committee decision was not to approve this preliminary step, but to receive it as information – sending it back for revision.
Messaging played a large role in the council member’s justification for not approving the report. 
Although the report was to investigate possible options, Coun. Evan Duncan felt the report “was not communicated that way”. Rather the council people said much of the responses they received from the public implied the City was in the process of going off natural gas. “Going away from natural gas may not be a doable thing in this climate,” Coun. Shawn Dobson says. “Perhaps in the future we should go off natural gas, but that may be in a century.”
Both Dobson and Duncan referred to instances where attempting to move towards energy efficiency had been shot down by different levels of government.
“Maybe if we had an adequate electrical supply then maybe we could be talking about that, but I don’t think we have an adequate electrical supply … that would be up to Hydro to determine if we have enough for that,” Coun. Dobson says. “I feel our best choice right now is to work with the other two levels of government to reduce our use of [natural gas].”
While members of the public service said that Manitoba Hydro has committed to increasing the province’s energy supply in line with net zero goals, Committee Chair Coun. Evan Duncan expressed that he is “not confident” in Hydro’s ability to meet the energy needs required for phasing out natural gas.
Near the end of the discussion, a frustrated Councillor Brian Mayes maligned the City’s tendency towards big promises without much intention or capacity for action.
“We make these grandiose commitments, we undoubtedly voted for climate action, we undoubtedly voted for the CEIR (Community Energy Investment Roadmap),” Coun. Mayes says. “It’s just theatre at some point if we don’t do any action … what’s the action here?