Manitoba funds expansion project for ‘zero-emission’ buses

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The Manitoba government is funding a clean energy sector project it expects to create hundreds of jobs through NFI Group Inc.’s All-Canadian Build expansion in Winnipeg.

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Premier Wab Kinew and Economic Development Minister Jamie Moses announced the $23.4-million investment, which will support the establishment of an NFI facility to manufacture, finish, and service zero-emission buses.

Kinew highlighted the importance of building a low-carbon economy locally, emphasizing that Manitoba’s blue-collar workers will play a central role in the transition to a net-zero future. NFI Group, headquartered in Winnipeg, is a major provider of zero-emission buses and already employs nearly 3,000 Manitobans. The new facility is expected to create 250 direct jobs in Winnipeg and several hundred indirect jobs, boosting local employment while supporting the demand for zero-emission buses across Canada.

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Minister Moses emphasized the project’s impact on reducing emissions while creating sustainable jobs in electric transit manufacturing. The Manitoba government, along with NFI and federal support through Prairies Economic Development Canada will fund the expansion under the Green Prairie Economy Framework.

Federal Minister Dan Vandal, responsible for Prairies Economic Development, praised the project as a boost to Canada’s manufacturing capacity in the zero-emission vehicle sector. NFI CEO Paul Soubry described the expansion as a milestone, enabling NFI to build entire buses in Canada for the first time in over two decades. He credited the partnership with Manitoba and federal funds for supporting the province’s green economy and expanding NFI’s zero-emissions bus production.

Construction of the All-Canadian Build facility is expected to begin in 2024 and operational in late 2025.

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