Tesla loses bid for urgent judicial review of Manitoba’s EV rebate
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WINNIPEG — Tesla’s Canadian subsidiary will have to wait longer for its day in a Manitoba court.
The company filed an application for judicial review in the Court of King’s Bench last month in which it seeks to have a judge overturn the Manitoba government’s decision to exclude the automaker from a taxpayer-funded rebate for electric vehicle purchases and leases.
The government announced Tesla’s exclusion from the program in March 2025 under its “commitment to be elbows up” in retaliation to tariffs imposed by United States President Donald Trump, who at the time gave Elon Musk, the CEO of Texas-based Tesla Inc., a job in his administration.
The company, which argues the decision was unreasonable and procedurally unfair, also asked for an expedited court hearing either this month or later in the summer to have the matter dealt with urgently. However, Manitoba Court of King’s Bench Justice Sarah Inness rejected that request after a brief hearing Thursday.
“The matter needs to be heard properly, with sufficient time not only for the parties to prepare and file materials, but for the court to have sufficient time to address the issues and the arguments,” said Inness.
She set a court date for early October.
As part of the submission for an urgent hearing, Michael Parrish, a lawyer for Tesla Canada, had argued if the company continues to be excluded, it will suffer financial harm and Manitoba customers will lose out on rebates, particularly if the fund runs out of money before its court application is decided on.
About $10.8 million is left in the fund, although the government could decide to top it up.
Inness concluded the effect of not hearing the application on an urgent basis won’t be as significant as Tesla had argued and it would not be irreparable.
The government and Manitoba Public Insurance, which is also named in the court application because it administers the fund, argued the matter is not exceptional and that the legal test to hear the application on an urgent basis was not met.
Government and MPI lawyers, who said the application raises “important and significant” issues, argued the case should be heard on a normal timeline.
The respondents may file a motion seeking to have the court reject Tesla’s application.
» Winnipeg Free Press