A regional assessment of the potential effects of introducing transmission facilities in alternative corridors east of Lake Winnipeg was conducted. The primary focus of the study was on the impact of transmission facilities on outdoor recreation. Several proposed transmission corridors were compared on the basis of the potential negative impact on five factors: existing development providing outdoor recreation facilities, polices and planning objectives east of Lake Winnipeg, natural resources used for outdoor recreation, ecological processes and natural ecosystems and the appearance of the landscape. The West Corridor and W₁ trunk along the east shore of Lake Winnipeg was considered to have the least impact on outdoor recreation, and further study of this alternative was recommended. / 1978

A regional assessment of the potential impacts of transmission facilities on the area east of Lake Winnipeg was conducted in order to identify alternative transmission corridors with the emphasis on minimizing the adverse effects on outdoor recreation. A regional resource inventory of the Biotic, Socio-cultural, and Recreational Components of the study area was assembled. Impacts of severe, high, moderate and low were defined and applied to the resource inventory. Four possible corridor routes; --A, B, C and D --were identified at the northern extent of the study area, converging to three just south of the fifty-second parallel; one with its associated trunk line along the east shore of Lake Winnipeg, the other with its associated trunk line along the midline of the study area and the third, along the Manitoba-Ontario border veering southeast to a common exit near the Fort Alexander Indian Reserve. Finally, the corridor on the east shore of Lake Winnipeg and the central corridor converge in the Manigotagan area and exit the study area near the Fort Alexander Indian Reserve. / October 2015

Over the past century, Manitoba has promoted the construction of hydroelectric dams as a means of producing energy. These projects are produced on Indigenous territory and bring these communities into direct conflict with the province and Manitoba Hydro. Recently, Manitoba Hydro has promoted partnerships with affected First Nations. These partnerships provide communities the “opportunity” to purchase shares of the dams with the goal of gaining profits. Partnerships have been established for two projects as a means of suggesting social licence. Social licence is an informal licence provided by a community to show support and consent for a project in their area. A progressive definition of social licence is when communities provide “free, prior, and informed consent.” Partnership agreements in northern Manitoba do not provide social licence, as the communities involvement in the project, and the means by which the partnership is established do not provide “free, prior, and informed consent.” / October 2015

Adaptive management (AM) is a systematic process that regards management and policy decisions as experiments or treatments. This iterative process is relatively simple and intuitive, leading to widespread uptake and application of these principles. Popularity of AM results in the process being routinely inserted into strategies or plans without full recognition of the commitment and paradigm shift in management that it represents. This case study involved evaluation of Manitoba Hydro’s Environmental Protection Program during construction of the Bipole III transmission line and its use of AM. Researching the program’s functionality spanned three construction seasons using document review, employee interviews and site visits. The program was evaluated according to what current literature identifies as elements of successful AM. Monitoring and Innovative activities provided strong examples of AM principles while other areas such as communication face challenges. The recommendations pursue a more active approach to AM and continual improvement of environmental protection performance. / February 2017

In light of pressing challenges including climate change and energy security, urban planners are increasingly being required to make decisions that can be attributed to reductions in energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Energy mapping is an emerging approach used to make improved energy-related decisions and predict energy performance, although at the time of writing, has not been applied within a Manitoban context. Informed by promising practice utilized in other Canadian locales, this research creates an energy mapping process for use in the City of Winnipeg’s residential sector. The Ebby-Wentworth neighbourhood is analyzed to develop and test the mapping process. The process begins with determining baseline energy use for the neighbourhood, and is then compared to three development scenarios, which include the use of retrofits, and new construction on an adjacent development site. The results of applying the energy mapping approach in Winnipeg demonstrates this to be a key decision-making tool for planners looking to make informed decisions related to energy-using equipment, building and site design, and land use and infrastructure. Recommendations include: increased use of the energy mapping approach as a decision-making tool through enhanced collaboration between federal and provincial authorities, municipalities, and utilities; incorporating energy considerations into the planning and development process through revised and updated energy legislation, policy and programming; and, further refining and testing of the energy mapping process designed for this research to develop a best-practice approach for mapping energy use within the Province of Manitoba.