Groups press candidates to adopt 10-point climate agenda before election
Winnipeg climate groups unveiled a 10-point People’s Climate Mandate outside city hall on Wednesday, urging all municipal candidates to commit to the platform if elected. Organisers say the document reflects input from more than 200 residents and 24 organisations and is timed with the municipal election eight weeks away.
At the rally, campaigners framed the mandate as an effort to make climate action part of everyday municipal decision-making, and to bring environmental policy into conversation with pressing social issues such as housing, addictions and cost of living.
"We call on all candidates in the Winnipeg election to commit to implementing the 10 policy priorities in the People’s Climate Mandate should they be elected," said Hannah Muhajarine, campaigns manager for Climate Reality Project Canada, speaking to attendees outside the council chamber.
"We call on all candidates in the Winnipeg election to commit to implementing the 10 policy priorities in the People’s Climate Mandate should they be elected."
Organisers said the mandate was produced from consultations with residents and local groups and is intended to be an accessible set of policy asks for city council and mayoral candidates. Highlights cited at the event include more robust funding for the city’s climate action plan, the creation of an extreme heat policy, improvements to public transit and investments in active transportation.
- Funding for Winnipeg’s climate action plan
- An extreme heat policy and related supports for vulnerable residents
- Improvements to the city’s transit system
- A connected pedestrian and cycling network
- Protection of greenspaces
Speakers emphasised the extreme heat policy as a central ask. Ann Loewen of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment told the crowd that heat poses a public-health risk and should be addressed with the same municipal rigour given to cold-weather protections.
"We need maximum indoor heat by-laws. The same way we have for cold weather. And communities need support in developing the systematic plans to check on the vulnerable."
The groups said the 10-point mandate is designed to carry Winnipeg toward 2030 goals for emissions reduction and resilience, and that local action will be essential to meet national and global targets. They also acknowledged that climate measures must be integrated with efforts to tackle homelessness, addictions and affordability, framing the mandate as part of broader social policy rather than a narrow environmental agenda.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Total recommendations | 10 (People’s Climate Mandate) |
| Consultation base | Input from 200+ residents and 24 organisations |
| Key priority examples | Heat policy, transit, funding, active transportation, greenspace protection |
Climate groups staged the rally as part of a broader push to make climate platforms a core part of municipal campaigns. They asked all candidates to publicly commit to the mandate’s policies so voters can evaluate platforms on environmental and equity grounds heading into the October vote.
While the organisers did not release a full item-by-item policy text at the rally, they said the mandate includes both policy directives and calls for funding commitments to ensure implementation. Members of the coalition stressed municipal government has tools to address many of the proposals, from by-laws and planning decisions to budget allocations for transit and community supports.
As the campaign period advances, candidates will face questions about how to balance investments in climate resilience with other urgent municipal needs. Advocates said their approach is to position climate action as complementary to solutions for housing, health and public safety rather than competitive for scarce resources.
With the election weeks away, the mandate aims to put environmental priorities on the ballot and prompt candidates to say how they would translate broad goals into concrete municipal policies and timelines.
