GREEN MAP
Mobility:
- Introduction
Prepared by: James Moore, April 2007
Introduction:
Winnipeg’s WinSmart strategy is one of eight projects being undertaken in municipalities across Canada that have received funding from the Urban Transportation Showcase Program (http://www.tc.gc.ca/programs/environment/UTSP/winnipeg.htm). The UTSP is a federal program – administered by Transport Canada – with a budget of $40 million used to encourage and promote “strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation in municipalities” (Canada Newswire, 2006). The program also aims to provide a testing ground to evaluate the various GHG reduction strategies.
The City of Winnipeg has been in negotiation for years with the provincial and federal governments to secure funding for transportation-related initiatives that would aid in the reduction of city’s Greenhouse Gas emissions. The federal government temporarily withdrew its funding when the current mayor, Sam Katz, cancelled plans for a Bus Rapid Transit corridor along the Pembina highway (Kives, B., 2006). On November 24, 2006, a funding agreement was reached between the three levels of government for a $13 million dollar, three-pronged strategy to improve transportation in Winnipeg. Under the agreement, the federal government has committed $3.5 million, the province has contributed $847,000, and the city is responsible for the brunt of the costs, committing about $8.7 million to the projects (Welch, M.A., 2006). Implementation of the strategy will begin in 2007 and continue into 2008.
