Federal government pauses EV rebate, raising questions about the future of electric vehicles in Manitoba
Posted January 15, 2025 9:24 pm.
An early end to Federal EV rebates, is causing concern for dealers who say the end of incentives could deter buyers considering a switch to electric and put EV targets in jeopardy.
Transport Canada announced Monday, they would be pausing a financial incentive program that offered up to $5,000 for EV purchases.
In response, Canadian manufacturers are urging an end to federal mandates requiring EVs to comprise 20% of new vehicle sales by 2026 and 100% by 2035.
“Getting 100 per cent to EV by 2035 I think that’s a stretch,” said Dan Murray, Owner of Murray Chevrolet Winnipeg.
Murray questions the feasibility of the EV mandates but notes they’ve seen rising EV sales.
He also says Manitoba’s Electric Vehicle Rebate Program, also provides thousands in savings
“You look into Saskatchewan, Alberta, Ontario they don’t have the provincial credit, but we are very confident EFV sales will continue to be sale, we have lots of staff driving EVs so there’s a lot of confidence in them,” said Murray.
“We have processed over 2500 applications for our EV rebates since using the program,” said Tracy Schmidt, Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
The Province confirmed its EV rebate program will continue, emphasizing its affordability benefits and positive impact.
“The fact that Manitoba is offering this rebate means manufactures will be looking to Manitoba to bring these products into our market, helping people with their selection,” said Scmidt.
Schmidt notes that insufficient charging infrastructure remains an issue, with Canada needing to increase public chargers from 32,000 to an estimated 679,000 by 2040.
“Manitoba Hydro is going to play a role in expanding that infrastructure in the future, so we know there’s a need, but work is well underway and were excited to do that work,” said Schmidt.
