Energy Efficiency Programming and Indigenous Rights in Manitoba, Canada

Abstract

Improving energy efficiency is increasingly recognized as key to the energy transition and offers numerous benefits at the household level. There has been little scholarship to date addressing how energy efficiency is governed, and even less study of how Indigenous Nations and settler governments might co-develop energy efficiency policy. This gap is notable because energy efficiency policy can exacerbate equity issues when done without proper consideration of the diverse needs of different energy users. Through a document analysis and key informant interviews, this case study of energy efficiency governance in Manitoba, Canada investigates how Efficiency Manitoba works with Indigenous Nations and how well its programs meet the needs of Indigenous communities. Efficiency Manitoba’s approach to building relationships with Indigenous Peoples has several strengths that other settler governments and institutions would do well to emulate. Evaluating the overall success of Efficiency Manitoba’s programs for Indigenous participants is inhibited by limited data availability, so there is a need for better measurement and transparency. This research also found that the overlap between housing policy and residential energy efficiency policy is much greater than is commonly acknowledged in energy efficiency literature. Efficiency Manitoba is already collaborating with Indigenous-led housing initiatives, but more explicit integration of energy efficiency and housing supports could be beneficial, especially on First Nations reserves."I would like to acknowledge funding from the University of Winnipeg President’s Distinguished Graduate Student Scholarship, the Government of Canada’s New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) CANSTOREnergy project NFRFT-2022-00197, and other funding from the University of Winnipeg Master of Environment and Social Change program."Master in Environmental and Social Change Progra