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During Canadian Environment Week, Canada’s Environmental Damages Fund supports 12 new nature conservation and restoration projects

Environment and Climate Change Canada
Friday at 11:38am ADT · June 5, 2026 4 min read

GATINEAU, QC, June 5, 2026 /CNW/ – This week, Canadians are marking Canadian Environment Week, recognizing that collective efforts at home and around the world contribute to a healthier, more sustainable future.

Today, the Honourable Julie Dabrusin, Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature, announced that the Government of Canada will invest over $4 million in funding from the Environmental Damages Fund in 12 projects in Quebec, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador. These projects will focus on restoring or improving the natural environment, supporting wildlife, improving environmental quality, and advancing research and development leading to restoration.

Led by environmental non-profit organizations, Indigenous organizations, universities, and municipalities, these projects will:

  • Engage more than 8,000 participants and over 132 community partner organizations in project activities, including collaborations with youth, Indigenous communities, and small businesses
  • Monitor, assess, and direct studies across extensive wildlife habitat, including the total area of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Grand Banks area, and the Newfoundland and Labrador Shelves
  • Provide restoration and management activities on over 110,000 hectares of habitat, which equals roughly the size of the City of Calgary
  • Improve environmental quality on more than 15 hectares of habitat, equivalent to about 28 football fields
  • Reduce or divert more than 27,000 kilograms of toxic or harmful waste from the environment

The Environmental Damages Fund uses fines from environmental infractions to support projects that will benefit Canada’s natural environment, usually in the area where the violation occurred. These funds are directed into measurable and meaningful projects that restore the environment and protect wildlife and their habitats, demonstrating how environmental harm can be turned into environmental healing.

Quotes

“The Government of Canada is committed to investing in healthier environments and stronger communities. These projects reflect the spirit of Canadian Environment Week–that collective action is required to protect our natural world. They demonstrate how, through the support of the Environmental Damages Fund, communities and partners can work together to restore ecosystems and protect wildlife for generations to come.”

– The Honourable Julie Dabrusin, Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature

Quick facts

  • Canadian Environment Week, taking place from May 31 to June 6, 2026, is a national opportunity to highlight the collective efforts underway to protect nature, reduce pollution, and support a healthier, more sustainable future. Throughout the week, Canadians are invited to celebrate our environment and contribute to efforts that protect it for generations to come.
  • Supporting projects that restore or improve the natural environment, improve environmental quality, and grow research and development leading to restoration supports the Government of Canada’s firm commitment to fight climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.
  • For three decades, the Environmental Damages Fund has reinvested fines resulting from environmental violations into projects that protect and restore the environment.
  • Created in 1995, the Environmental Damages Fund is a Government of Canada program administered by Environment and Climate Change Canada. The Fund directs monies received from fines, penalties, court orders, and voluntary payments to projects that will repair environmental damage or benefit the environment. The Fund aims to invest in areas where the environmental damage occurred.
  • Fines and penalties are automatically directed to the Fund under 14 federal legislative clauses, including the Fisheries Act, subsection 40(6); the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999; and the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994. Five federal statutes contain discretionary clauses that can be used to direct fines and penalties to the Fund, including the Fisheries Act, paragraph 79.2(f).

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Associated links

Environment and Climate Change Canada’s X page

Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Facebook page

Environment and Natural Resources in Canada’s Facebook page

Environment and Climate Change Canada’s LinkedIn page

Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Instagram page

SOURCE Environment and Climate Change Canada

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