GOVERNMENTS OF CANADA AND MANITOBA PROVIDE $2.9 MILLION OVER TWO YEARS TO ADVANCE MANITOBA AS LEADER IN RENEWABLE TRANSPORTATION FUELS

Jun 21, 2023

The governments of Canada and Manitoba are committed to enhancing Manitoba’s competitive advantages in leading-edge, value-added agricultural processing to support the development of renewable transportation fuel processing in Canada.

This new industry will position Manitoba as a hub for innovation and green, low-carbon technologies. The Canada and Manitoba governments are providing $2.9 million over two years to support Azure Sustainable Fuels Corp.’s Front End Engineering Design (FEED) study for a planned sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) processing facility near Portage la Prairie, Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson and the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food announced today.

The facility’s construction is anticipated to cost approximately $1.9 billion and to produce an estimated one billion litres per year of SAF, primarily using Canadian feedstock products such as canola and soybean oils. With Canada’s and Manitoba’s support, the Azure project will create 1,500 construction jobs and approximately 150 direct permanent, highly specialized jobs once in production. The construction of the Azure facility is projected to have a total impact on the Manitoba economy of $2 billion. The first year of operations is expected to create more than $500 million in economic output and sustain hundreds of jobs throughout Manitoba.

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Video: Grains on Tap | Episode 1: MP Branden Leslie

Our journey through the corridors of power and the fields of grain begins with a special guest, Branden Leslie, Member of Parliament for Portage-Lisgar and a proud alumnus of the Grain Growers of Canada. Branden, a native of Portage La Prairie, Manitoba, brings a wealth of knowledge from his time as a political advisor and his tenure as the manager of policy and government relations with the GGC, to his recent election to the House of Commons.

As we sit down with Branden on a late Friday afternoon, fresh from his duties at the House of Commons, we'll dive into the intersection of agriculture and politics, his journey from advocacy to elected office, and how these experiences shape his views on the future of Canadian agriculture. And, as we're doing this over a couple of well-deserved beers, we'll also touch on the lighter side of life, including Brandon's recent venture into fatherhood.