On June 12, nearly 100 participants gathered at The Forks in Winnipeg and online to kick off a critical conversation surrounding the present and future of electricity in Manitoba. Hosted by The Climate Reality Project Canada, Manitoba’s Climate Action Team, Sustainable Building Manitoba, Manitoba Eco-Network and Wa Ni Ska Tan Alliance of Hydro-Impacted Communities, this panel discussion was the first in a series of public events aimed at unpacking Manitoba’s evolving energy landscape and giving community members the tools to engage with it.
While Manitoba’s electricity grid is often touted as one of the cleanest in the country because of its reliance on hydroelectricity, pressures both new and old (such as rising demand, outdated infrastructure, climate targets and the long-standing negative impacts of hydroelectric development on Indigenous communities) are exposing deep tensions in how the province plans to power its future. In response, Manitoba Hydro, a provincial Crown Corporation, is currently developing a new Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), a roadmap that will help determine how energy is produced and managed in the province for decades to come. In light of this, Climate Reality Canada and its partners organized this event to help equip the public to participate meaningfully in IRP consultations and in wider discussions about the energy future Manitobans deserve.
The evening began with words from Elder Ellen Cook, who spoke to the profound impacts that hydro development has had on Indigenous communities in the province. Her testimony served as a crucial counter-narrative, challenging a purely economic or technical view of energy development (which was the focus of this first conversation in the series). Just as importantly, this introduction reminded us that that no discussion about energy systems is complete without a clear-eyed reckoning with their human and ecological impacts.
Elder Ellen Cook shares powerful words at the beginning of the event to remind us of community impacts often overlooked in conversations about energy and resource management.
Key takeaways
Moderated by economist Lynne Fernandez, the panel brought together two veteran energy insiders: David Cormie, retired Director of Wholesale Power and Operations at Manitoba Hydro, and Bill Hamlin, electrical engineer and author of several Manitoba Hydro and Government of Manitoba emissions reduction plans. Together, they offered a window into the technical realities shaping Manitoba Hydro’s long-term planning and the hard choices ahead. This multi-stakeholder forum was designed to facilitate an open discussion about the past, present and future of electricity consumption and production in Manitoba, and, as such, the viewpoints expressed by the panelists do not necessarily represent those of Climate Reality Canada.
A system under strain
By 2030-2031, Manitoba Hydro estimates that it will need an additional 500 megawatts of electricity to meet peak winter demand. That’s the equivalent of powering anywhere between 200,000 to 500,000 homes.
For Hydro, the challenge is not just meeting average demand. It’s also about maintaining a dependable energy supply even during drought, having a transmission system capable of providing uninterrupted power and ensuring enough electricity is available at the coldest, darkest hour of a January morning with a 12 per cent reserve. Given that meeting Manitoba's climate targets requires shifting from gas-burning furnaces to electric heat pumps, this is no small feat.
Some of the options being considered are highly controversial, particularly the construction of a new natural gas power plant. This move, part of Manitoba Hydro’s draft Integrated Resource Plan, has already sparked backlash from climate organizations. In an open letter signed by Climate Reality Canada and others, critics argue that doubling down on fossil fuels undermines Manitoba’s clean electricity commitments.
So why is Hydro considering it? Cormie explained that Hydro typically exports excess power, especially during the summer, since technical, ecological and social impacts prevent Lake Winnipeg from being used as a storage battery. However, Manitoba’s historical reliance on swap agreements with U.S. utilities (that is, sending summer power south in exchange for winter imports) will no longer be a viable strategy for them once the agreements come to an end around 2030. As U.S. utilities retire ‘on-demand’ coal and gas plants and lean more heavily on ‘intermittent’ solar and wind, they can no longer guarantee reliable winter energy.
Rewriting the rules of reliable power
Much of the discussion centered on the challenge of integrating renewables into Manitoba’s electricity grid. As Cormie explained, one challenge is that solar production is minimal on cold, dark winter mornings (when energy demand from households is greatest), and wind output can be variable and hard to predict, leading Hydro to continue to place more weight on dispatchable sources like hydroelectricity and natural gas.
From left to right: Lynne Fernandez (moderator), David Cormie (panelist) and Bill Hamlin (panelist).
But this framing may also understate the full potential of renewables in a modernized grid. The reality is that no power source operates in a vacuum. The reliability of wind and solar isn’t just about when the sun shines or the wind blows, but about how the system is designed to support them.
Recent research shows that renewable energy is more reliable and affordable than many people think. According to Clean Energy Canada, wind and solar power, especially when combined with battery storage, can already compete with natural gas on cost in provinces like Alberta and Ontario. They’re also less vulnerable to price spikes in fossil fuels.
Meanwhile, a study from the Pembina Institute found that solar panels still work well in winter. In Alberta, snow caused less than a 5 per cent drop in solar energy over the year, a far cry from the widely assumed 20-30 per cent drop. Newer panel designs even capture sunlight reflected off the snow, boosting their performance. And while wildfire smoke can reduce solar output in summer, the overall impact is small and manageable with proper planning.
These findings point to an evolving energy landscape where solar and wind can be viable, reliable sources of power when supported by smart planning, flexible storage and complementary demand-side strategies. That’s why the panelists also emphasized the importance of non-generation solutions, such as higher-tier building codes, energy efficiency programs and widespread deployment of heat pumps, particularly in off-gas areas. These approaches reduce peak electricity demand, help lower emissions and avoid the need for new fossil infrastructure.
In short, while Manitoba Hydro’s current models may reflect valid concerns about intermittency, the conversation underscored that these challenges are not deal-breakers; they’re design questions. The technology and evidence from other jurisdictions tell us that a clean, reliable renewable-powered grid is not only possible, but increasingly practical in the years to come.
What comes next
Members of the local community listen attentively during the panel event and develop a stronger understanding of how energy solutions can drive real change across Manitoba.
One clear message from the night was that the energy transition will not be solved through technology alone. It requires political will, community leadership and a willingness to question the assumptions baked into how our systems have operated for decades. With this event, Climate Reality Canada and partners sought to build Manitobans' energy systems literacy in order to empower them to navigate public consultation processes and advocate for greater climate ambition on the part of decision-makers at Hydro and the provincial government.
This panel was just the beginning. Future events will help inform advocates and community members by diving deeper into the social, ecological and governance aspects of Manitoba’s electricity system. Because if we want a just, climate-resilient, net-zero future, we need a plan that reflects all the realities of this moment, not just the ones that fit neatly into a spreadsheet.
Stay tuned for what’s next because the conversation has only just begun!
Full panel recording coming soon.