Archived: Departmental Results Report 2017 to 2018, supplementary tables: Department of Environment, chapter 3

February 2000

In perpetuity

During 2017–18, CBT achieved the following objectives and deliverables:

• Provided $226,000 in grants for 66 projects in the areas of: Culture & Events ($26,000); Food Security ($11,000); Education & Youth ($63,000); Community Development ($21,000); Research & Environment ($75,000); and Canada-150 ($30,000)
• Delivered a range of grant programs including scholarships, neighbourhood small grants, a research award and a $60,000 call for projects to support innovative, regional initiatives. The CBT was the local community foundation partner for the Community Fund for Canada's 150th granting program
• Published the 2017 Living Wage calculation for the region. which rose 84 cents from 2015 and is second to only Vancouver in B.C. The living wage has since been adopted by a range of local employers including a tourism operator, First Nations government, and public daycare facility
• Collaborated with the University of Washington-Tacoma to research, analyze and build awareness on marine hypoxia and algal blooms in estuarine-based salmon habitat
• Indexed over 1000 hours of recorded sounds from the Sydney Inlet Remote Listening Station, resulting in 32 identified bird species, 10 documented midnight porpoise and whale spouts, and several seasonal shifts in the dawn songbird chorus. Soundscape recordings from July-August captured the post-dusk and pre-dawn flight patterns of Marbled Murrelets returning to their nesting sites in the upper Sydney river watershed. This data supported the need for spatially designated Marbled Murrelet reserves in the BC Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources threatened species recovery plan
• Co-hosted a regional gathering of over 700 community members and visitors with Yuu-cluth-aht Government and Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. The event included a community feast, story-telling, workshops, and fun activities for all ages. The objective was to celebrate our unique strengths, shared history, and cultural diversity while recognizing Canada's 150th anniversary. The event was an opportunity to fulfil the UNESCO mandate of peace-building at a local level, and marked the first known coming together of all regional communities in the spirit of healing and reconciliation
• Developed, coordinated and marketed education programs utilizing the West Coast NEST on-line hub (westcoastnest.org) as a means of diversifying the local tourism economy, broadening labour-force skills, and increasing the number of youth employed in businesses

February 2000

Between 2000 and 2005, the Government of Canada endowed the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) with $550 million to administer a revolving fund for grants, loans and loan guarantees to encourage investment in municipal environmental projects. Budget 2016 committed an additional top-up of $125 million for the GMF in Fiscal Year 2017–18. No funding is committed for the GMF in Fiscal Year 2018–19.

The GMF was established to have a positive impact on the health and the quality of life of Canadians by reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, improving local air, water and soil quality, and promoting renewable energy by supporting environmental studies and projects within the municipal sector. Eligible projects may fall into one or more of the following categories: energy, water, waste, sustainable transportation, brownfields, or integrated community projects.

The amount of GMF financing available to municipalities is directly related to the environmental benefits and/or innovation of the projects undertaken, with grant/loan combinations of up to 80% of eligible costs available for capital projects with exceptional environmental benefits.       

As stipulated in the GMF Funding Agreement between the FCM and the Government of Canada, the FCM has created two advisory bodies: the Green Municipal Fund Council (GMF Council) and the Peer Review Committee. The GMF Council’s role is to assist the FCM Board of Directors—the GMF decision-making body—in approving projects proposed by municipalities. The 15-member GMF Council includes five federal members: two from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), two from Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and one from Infrastructure Canada (INFC). All federal members are appointed by the FCM Board of Directors based on recommendations from the Minister of Environment and Climate Change.

Environment and Climate Change Canada peer reviewers provide the GMF and federal Council Members with expert environmental science and technology advice and evaluate funding proposals.

As part of the Green Infrastructure investments announced in Budget 2016, the FCM received an endowment of $125 million in FY 2017–18 for the GMF. Half of this funding flowed through Environment and Climate Change Canada and half through Natural Resources Canada.

In May 2016, The Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development released an audit report, Federal Support for Sustainable Municipal Infrastructure, in which two  GMF recommendations were made.

1)  Recommendation 1.52:

The FCM, in consultation with GMF Council, should develop specific objectives, performance targets, and indicators to leverage its investments in municipal environmental projects.

The FCM response:

The FCM  agreed to develop specific objectives, performance targets, and indicators to better reflect the various leveraging activities that are delivered through the GMF. Over the course of the FY 2017–18, FCM engaged the GMF Council to establish leveraging objectives and targets which are captured in the GMF 5-Year Strategic Plan 2018–2023.

2) Recommendation 1.62:

The Government of Canada and the FCM should review the terms and conditions of the GMF Funding Agreement and revise them as needed to address the GMF’s financial sustainability concerns. These parties should consider including a requirement for a regular review of the Funding Agreement to ensure it continues to support GMF objectives.

Departmental response:

Environment and Climate Change Canada, Natural Resources Canada, and Infrastructure Canada negotiated a new Funding Agreement with FCM, which came into force on March 19, 2018. The financial sustainability of the GMF was addressed through the Budget 2016 top-up of $125 million and corresponding sustainability measures and requirement for a regular review of the Funding Agreement were incorporated into the new Funding Agreement. 

The 2017–18 GMF Annual Report is expected to be available on the FCM website, in due course.

• Since the inception of the GMF in 2000, the FCM has committed to provide $846,681 million to support 1,213 environmental initiatives in communities across Canada (2016-17 GMF Annual Report). Of the initiatives funded to date, 199 have been capital projects. The 199 capital projects that have been completed and reported on to date have:
• Reduced cumulative GHG emissions by 2.3 million tonnes;
• Improved the quality of more than 69,300 cubic metres of soil;
• Treated 243,000 cubic metres of wastewater per year;
• Made 77 hectares of previously contaminated land available for use;
• Reduced water consumption by almost 310,000 cubic metres per year and;
• Diverted 173,417 tonnes of waste from landfill per year.

Through GMF, the FCM invested $74 million in 9 capital projects and $9 million in 71 plans, studies and pilot projects during the 2016–17 fiscal year.