On legacies

While it's hard to disagree with Greg's suggested legacy project for Gary Doer, it looks like Doer himself has a highly worthwhile idea as well:

(Doer) intends to continue his plan to make Manitoba Hydro a linchpin of the province’s economic development and to make the province a green economy leader. “I believe the future for Manitoba and the future of my children and grandchildren relies on developing renewable energy for all the people of Manitoba,” he has said.

To that end, he has revived the $5-billion Conawapa hydroelectric project in the province’s north - something he appears to envision as a legacy project.

Of course, it would be all the better if Doer continues Manitoba's leadership on the political front as well as the environment.

But a concerted focus on clean and renewable energy could both secure Manitoba's economic future, and provide a wide swath of Canada with access to ample energy long after the oil sands stop booming. And in the longer term, such a move could ensure that Doer goes from being perceived as a merely a skilled manager, to being remembered for a mammoth contribution to Canadian sustainability.