Welcome to the forum Jim. I am in southern Manitoba as well.
So far I haven’t had any experience with a charcoal gasifier, so I can’t speak directly to your questions. But I have been driving my truck with wood for the last two years.
If you have time look through Matt Ryder’s thread. He has been tested water injection for charcoal gasifiers and has been having great success. It adds extra hydration which exponentially boosts the efficiency of the gasifier.