Heat and public safety: Manitoba Eco-Network survey results being released Aug. 11
-PRESS CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT-
[WINNIPEG / TREATY 1 TERRITORY AND HOMELAND OF THE MÉTIS NATION, AUGUST 7, 2025 – MANITOBA ECO-NETWORK INC.]
On August 11, 2025 the Manitoba Eco-Network will release the results of our Cold Weather, Hot Weather, and Your Hydro Bills survey along with policy research on protecting people from unsafe heat. The release will take place from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM at the Assembly Hall of The WestEnd Commons, accessible via 365 McGee Street, Winnipeg.
This event is open to the media and the public at large. Light refreshments will be provided. Please feel free to share this release on your social media and help us spread the word.
Cold Weather, Hot Weather, and Your Hydro Bills Survey
Manitoba Eco-Network designed a voluntary response survey entitled Cold Weather, Hot Weather, and Your Hydro Bills for the residents of Spence, West Broadway, Daniel McIntyre and St. Matthews neighbourhoods in Winnipeg. The survey was open between February 15 and June 30, 2025, with 142 residents responding.
The survey asked questions such as:
- Is your home uncomfortable when it’s very cold or very hot outside?
- Do you worry about paying for heat or hydro when the weather is very cold or very hot?
- Do you have to choose between paying your heating/cooling utility bills and other costs of living?
“The results of our survey demonstrate that many residents of the West End are struggling with the impacts of energy poverty,” says Manitoba Eco-Network Projects Manager Sorsha Moore-Peters. “Survey responses highlighted the need for increased government support surrounding issues including: public facilities where the people can go to cool down when the temperature in their own home feels unbearable, assistance programs and public resources that can allow homeowners to make their residences more energy-efficient, and changes to tenancy policy that will protect renters during periods of extreme heat.”
Policy Solutions to Combat Unsafe Heat
Manitoba Eco-Network also commissioned research memoranda on policy solutions that the City of Winnipeg and the Province of Manitoba can adopt to ensure adequate cooling mechanisms for residents. This included a memorandum on cooling centres by Manitoba Eco-Network researcher Mike Bagamery, as well as a legal memorandum written by Luke Pankratz and Esther Adegbesan of Pro Bono Students Canada. We will also be discussing the findings of these memoranda at the event.
“Manitoba is currently poorly equipped to deal with the dangerous realities of urban consequences in a warming climate. Our research reveals ways Manitoba can learn from our neighbours, looking at the larger picture of what works and what doesn’t. The core message here is all about the Province and organizations like the Eco-Network working together to protect Manitobans who are most at risk. The best way to do that is to listen to the concerns those people are bringing to the table,” says Moore-Peters.
What is the Climate Safe, Green City project?
This research is being conducted by the Manitoba Eco-Network as part of its Climate Safe, Green City project, which builds climate resilience from the neighbourhood level up. Through this project the Manitoba Eco-Network has been partnering with three Winnipeg inner-city neighbourhood renewal corporations: Spence Neighbourhood Association, the West Broadway Community Organization, and the West End Resource Centre to build climate-adaptive solutions.
Funding for the Climate Safe, Green City project has been provided by the Manitoba Government. Further support has been provided by the Winnipeg Foundation, Assiniboine Credit Union, and the University of Winnipeg Department of Urban and Inner City Studies and Manitoba Eco-Network donors.
Other ongoing community work being done as a part of the Climate Safe, Green City project includes strategic development of the West End Resource Centre’s first neighborhood-wide waste audit, the Spence Neighbourhood Association’s Growing Shade project, and preparing for the West Broadway Community Organization’s spring-seedling workshop.
About the Manitoba Eco-Network
The Manitoba Eco-Network is a non-profit registered charity which seeks to strengthen Manitoba’s environmental community with the goal of protecting our environment for the benefit of current and future generations. The Eco-Network facilitates connections, engages in advocacy opportunities, and undertakes community-based research that promotes meaningful public participation in environmental governance processes.
We serve as an umbrella for environmental non-governmental organizations across the province. We build capacity and support grassroots organization’s participation in the environmental community, we celebrate positive environmental actions that happen within Manitoba, and work to elevate the voices of all those within our community.
Our mission is to promote good environmental governance, support and build capacity, advocate for environmental justice, and act as a bridge between environmental organizations, the public, and all levels of government.
More about the Event
Who: Manitoba Eco-Network
What: Research Release — Cold Weather, Hot Weather, and Your Hydro Bills Survey and our research on Protecting People from Unsafe Heat
Where: West End Commons, Assembly Hall, access via 365 McGee Street, Winnipeg
When: August 11th, 2025, doors open at 11AM, presentation from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Further information: No registration is required. Simply show up. This event is open to the media and the public at large. Light refreshments will be provided. The venue is wheelchair accessible with gender neutral bathrooms onsite.
Contact: Sorsha Moore-Peters, Manitoba Eco-Network Projects Manager, info@mbeconetwork.org, 204-947-6511
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