Canadian governments provide financial support for fossil fuels through a variety of measures, including direct transfers to fossil fuel producers. Much of this support is provided through the tax system. Tax expenditures reduce government revenue and create incentives for the production and consumption of fossil fuels. A clear understanding of the extent of tax subsidies is necessary to assess their impacts on government budgets—particularly important in the context of the COVID-19 economic recovery—as well as on air pollution and climate change. But the transparency of the cost of Canada’s tax subsidies for fossil fuels is poor. We recommend that all tax expenditures and other types of foregone revenue be measured and reported in line with international guidelines and best practices.

While the report shares some immediate impacts of COVID-19—shown in this report with recent point-in-time statistics—many effects will be felt in our community for years to come. In this report, we focus on 14 Peg indicators we think will eventually reflect those longer-term impacts. Collectively, these indicators provide a baseline measure of Winnipeg’s well-being when we entered the pandemic. We hope by highlighting potential long-term impacts, we will inspire people to act to lessen the severity of these effects.

Our reports only give a snapshot of the information available on the Peg website (mypeg.ca).

Despite increasingly compelling evidence in support of natural infrastructure projects, large-scale investment is still lagging.

In this report, we provide a template and guidance for project champions and funders specifically to fund natural infrastructure projects.

Rather than starting with general categories of nature-based projects and their overall benefits, this report outlines a path to investment based on identifying specific drivers and project champions for nature-based solutions and then aligning the design of natural infrastructure projects with available financing tools.

Research highlights the value of natural infrastructure projects by focusing on their broad benefits. This report focuses on providing guidance to project champions and funders to bridge the gap between early-stage valuation and feasibility studies and project finance.

The research highlights that natural infrastructure champions are most likely to succeed in developing innovative and pragmatic finance solutions when they focus on identifying a driver, identifying a lead beneficiary or project implementer, developing a pitch, establishing a partnership, and securing catalyst/predevelopment funding.

Recommendations for funders and investors in natural infrastructure include funding targeted research to fill data gaps and develop performance metrics, convening and aligning potential natural infrastructure beneficiaries, supporting efforts to achieve scale, and providing dedicated pre-development support.