Manitoba, Sask. get $2.5M in federal funding for electric vehicle chargers

Manitoba and Saskatchewan will get $2.5 million in funding to install400 new charging stations for electric vehicles in public places, the federal government announced Tuesday.

Thefederal government has partnered withManitoba Motor Dealers Association and Eco-West Canadaa Manitoba-basednon-profit that focuses on green economy infrastructure to help support the installation of the charging stations, said Terry Duguid, the parliamentary secretaryto the minister of environment and climate change.

"The price of filling up your car is a major item in most Canadians' budget these days, and how we move people and goods within our communities and across the country accounts for 25 per cent of greenhouse gasemissions," the Winnipeg South member of Parliamenttold reporters during a news conference at theUniversity of Manitoba.

The $2.5 million is coming from the federal government's Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program. The Liberal government has previously said that by 2035,all new light-duty vehicles sold in Canada must be zero emission.

The chargers will be installed in public places, such as residential buildings and workplaces, by the end of 2023.