Canada's Environmental Damages Fund marks 30 years with 23 new nature conservation and restoration projects

CALGARY, AB, Dec. 15, 2025 /CNW/ - Today, the Honourable Julie Dabrusin, Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature, marks the 30th anniversary of the Environmental Damages Fund by announcing that the Government of Canada will invest over $10.6 million in 23 projects that benefit ecosystems and communities across Canada.

For 30 years, the Environmental Damages Fund has turned fines, penalties, court orders, and voluntary payments from environmental violations into impactful projects that restore the environment and conserve wildlife and their habitats, showing that environmental harm can lead to environmental healing.

Since the program's inception in 1995, more than $255 million has been invested in over 600 projects. These community-led initiatives have played a vital role in safeguarding biodiversity and fostering long-term environmental stewardship and resilience.

And now 23 new community-led projects are being added to the program, each receiving funding for projects that will focus on restoring or improving the natural environment, protecting wildlife, and improving environmental quality, as well as for research and development leading to restoration.

It is estimated that these 23 projects will:

• Engage more than 6,500 participants and over 130 community partner organizations in project activities
• Monitor, assess, and direct studies in more than 116,000 hectares of wildlife habitat, which equals nearly twice the size of Toronto, Canada's largest city
• Improve environmental quality on more than 120 hectares of habitat, which equals roughly 218 football fields
• Reduce or divert 7,600 kilograms of toxic or harmful waste from the environment

By reinvesting fines from environmental violations in projects that restore the natural environment--often in the very places where damage occurred-- the Environmental Damages Fund supports meaningful recovery and reinforces the principle that environmental good must follow environmental harm.

Quotesf

"For 30 years, the Environmental Damages Fund has shown us that even when nature is harmed, there's a path forward--one that leads to healing and restoration. It is encouraging to see how communities across Canada have turned accountability into action, transforming penalties from environmental infractions into impactful projects that protect the environment and conserve wildlife and their habitats. Today's investment continues that legacy, and I'm inspired by the people behind these initiatives who are making a real difference for our environment today and for future generations."
– The Honourable Julie Dabrusin, Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature

"At the University of Calgary, we are committed to the responsible stewardship of our natural environment through scientifically sound and community-engaged research. In Alberta, our communities and industries depend on healthy ecosystems, and the research we are undertaking with this funding will provide critical insights into the health of our watersheds."
– Dr. Ed McCauley, President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Calgary

Quick facts

• 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 fighting climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.
• These 23 projects are being led by 12 non-governmental organizations, eight Indigenous organizations, and three universities and are located in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba and Quebec.
• 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).

Related products

• Canada's Environmental Damages Fund marks 30 years with funding for 23 new nature conservation and restoration projects 

Associated links

• Environmental Damages Fund
• Canada's 2030 Nature Strategy: Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss in Canada
• 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan: Clean Air, Strong Economy

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SOURCE Environment and Climate Change Canada

Contacts: Keean Nembhard, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature, 343-552-2387, [email protected]; Media Relations, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 819-938-3338 or 1-844-836-7799 (toll-free), [email protected]