FAQs
What is CEIR?
The Community Energy Investment Roadmap (CEIR) is an evidence-based study produced by the City of Winnipeg that identifies the actions and investments required to achieve the City’s emissions reduction target of net-zero by 2050. It includes four pathways to achieve net-zero emissions: buildings, transportation, waste management and renewable energy.
CEIR builds on the earlier City of Winnipeg Climate Action Plan and the OurWinnipeg 2045 development plan.
The CEIR was approved by City Council in June 2022.
Click here for our simple summary of CEIR: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iRrxY59zy-Wz8aR0hBEA2EtRjmca-k33ZPqFsnwokJw/edit
What is the Strategic Priorities Action Plan?
The 2023-2026 Strategic Priorities Action Plan identifies Council’s key priorities and actions until the next municipal election.
It includes five key priority themes and 41 priority actions for strategic focus and investment.
The five key priority themes include:
• The Downtown;
• A Strong Economy;
• A Livable, Safe, Healthy, Happy City;
• A Green and Growing City with Sustainable Renewal of Infrastructure; and
• A City that Works for Residents through Improved Customer Service.
Once considered and adopted by Council, the SPAP will play a key role in informing the 2024-2027 multi-year budget.
Why is it important to act now?
The Strategic Priorities Action Plan has been reviewed by each committee, and now goes to the City’s Executive Policy Committee on May 16. It will then go before Council to be voted on on May 30.
Amendments can be proposed, considered, and recommended throughout the approval process. There is still time to amend SPAP to include specific mention of CEIR before it is officially adopted by Council!
If CEIR is not included in the Strategic Priorities Action Plan, it is less likely that the actions identified by CEIR for moving towards a net-zero economy will receive funding in the 2024-2027 multi-year budget—which means, they will not happen.
What is in the Strategic Priorities Action Plan around climate action?
There are some things to be excited about in the SPAP! Priority Actions identified under the “Green and Growing City with Sustainable Renewal of Infrastructure” theme include:
However, just like the Pedestrian and Cycling Strategy and Winnipeg Transit Master Plan are identified by name, we need to ensure that “accelerating implementation of the Community Energy Investment Roadmap” is included as well—this would ensure that there is a broad mandate for funding and implementing the many different actions included in CEIR over the next three years.
Check out the Strategic Priorities Action Plan yourself.
How did we get here?
Council voted to adopt the Community Energy Investment Roadmap last July but then it languished and was buried in the civic elections. Read the Council Minutes where motion was carried. Many other cities have enacted Climate Emergencies and have allocated billions of dollars to implements climate action plans.
While there was some discussion about environmental issues and the CEIR report during the election, most candidates did not seem to understand or prioritize the document. Following the election, work was started to draft the new Strategic Priorities Action Plan (SPAP). This document was intended to reflect promises of elected councillors and to set the strategic direction for key projects and budget development over the next four years.
On April 18, 2023, that draft was released identifying the 41 key priorities that will guide the next four years of our city's budget. The CEIR is not mentioned. With little public notice or consultation upon the release of the draft, and documentation that is buried in the city’s information portal, approval of the draft Strategic Priorities Action Plan (SPAP) has advanced to the agenda of the Executive Policy Committee on May 16. If approved there, the draft goes to City Council on May 30. If approved at council, the draft plan may then become the actual plan without any mention of how the CEIR will be implemented.