Manitoba NDP promises electric-vehicle rebates, Liberals pledge to create seniors' advocate

People looking to buy an electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle could be eligible for a rebate if Manitoba's Opposition New Democrats form the next provincial government.

NDP Leader Wab Kinew says if his party wins the election set for Oct. 3, it would offer a $4,000 rebate for new vehicles and a $2,500 rebate for used ones.

"I want to ensure that this program is accessible," Kinew said at a news conference in Winnipeg's Assiniboine Forest.

"I want to help middle-class Manitobans make the right choices when it comes to your next vehicle." 

The federal government currently offers rebates of up to $5,000, depending on the type of vehicle, and some provinces have already adopted similar rebates. The new rebates would be in addition to the federal incentives.

Kinew estimated the program would cost $7 million per year.

One of the main obstacles for people looking to make the switch is a lack of charging stations, according to one advocate who lives in Thompson, Man.

Volker Beckmann said incentives need to go hand-in-hand with better infrastructure.

"It's great to have an incentive but if you can't drive it outside of Winnipeg, you're on holiday you're going to medical appointment, a football game, you need to be able to do the highway route," Beckmann said.

"Then local charging stations won't cut it. There has to be a plan to integrate northern Manitoba into a nationwide, or at least provincial-wide, charging infrastructure."

Kinew hinted the party would have more to say about expanding the charging network later in the campaign.

Protecting natural areas

An NDP government would also sign on to a federal commitment to protect 30 per cent of land and ocean by 2030, Kinew promised.

He said Manitoba has about 11 per cent of its land and water under a protected status, and accused the Progressive Conservative government of dragging its feet on the issue.

The federal target of protecting 30 per cent of land and water areas applies across the entire country, not within each province.

Ron Thiessen of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society said there are many potential projects in the province.

"There are several Indigenous protected area requests underway throughout Manitoba, there are also areas of special interest which are candidate protected areas that are on the table," Thiessen said at the same NDP news conference where the party announced it's electric vehicle rebate plan.

During the Winnipeg election last fall, Thiessen called on mayoral candidates to commit to lobbying the federal government to designate Assiniboine Forest a national urban park.

In 2021, the federal government announced $130.9 million as part of a program to support the creation of national urban parks across Canada.

Kinew didn't commit to designating Assiniboine Forest, but said there are a number of areas he is interested in protecting, adding that decisions about conservation areas would be made in consultation with Indigenous communities. 

Progressive Conservative candidate Greg Nesbitt, who served as natural resources minister, slammed the NDP proposal.

"This threatens our economic security, hurts First Nations, and drives up the cost of living for all Manitobans," Nesbitt said in an email statement.

"Only the PCs will fight for Manitoba workers and grow our economy by balancing responsible resource development and environmental stewardship — without shutting out one-third of the province and leaving the north behind."

The NDP is also promising to restore funding to nine environmental organizations, such as the Manitoba Eco-Network, that was cut in 2020.

Building justice centre in Dauphin

At another news conference Friday, the Manitoba NDP committed to building a $40-million justice centre in Dauphin within the party's first term in government.

The centre would replace the Dauphin jail, which the PCs closed in 2020, Opposition Leader Wab Kinew said at the Vermillion Park and Campground in Dauphin.

"Jails have become gangster university," Kinew said.

"Right now when somebody gets locked up, they end up coming out worse on the other end of it because of addictions, because of the gangs."

The new facility would focus on addictions treatment, job training and skill building, Kinew said. 

It would cost $5 million to $7 million to operate each year and would hold 60 beds, though consultation with municipal, Métis and First Nations leaders is needed before that number is finalized, Kinew added.

Kinew hopes the new facility would replace the 80 jobs lost when the Dauphin jail closed.

Liberals promise seniors' advocate

If elected this fall, the Manitoba Liberals will create a seniors' advocate office that investigates complaints faced by seniors and reports issues to legislation, Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont announced Friday outside the Maples care home in Winnipeg.

He said the office could be up and running within a year of taking office and would cost about $2.6 to create and about $2 million to $3 million to operate annually.

Lamont said he will also add nurse practitioners to personal care homes to enhance preventative care.

"We are committing to providing stronger protections for seniors," he said.

"Right now we have people ending up in ambulances … they end up going to the ER, the hospital for things that are completely preventable, because no doctor has visited them in a [personal care home]."

Lamont also plans to boost staffing ratio in personal care homes and protect the future sale of affordable housing for seniors.