Funding for new projects under the Environmental Damages Fund

The Environmental Damages Fund ensures that court-appointed penalties for environmental violations are used to carry out projects that will restore or improve the environment in the communities that Canadians call home.

In October 2016, Environment and Climate Change Canada released a call for proposals for funds available in Atlantic Canada and Quebec. After a rigorous review process, seven projects in those regions were awarded funding. The projects and funding awarded are as follows:

Restoration projects

Clean Foundation
Funding: $98,000

Atlantic Reef Ball Program: Restoration of habitat in The Narrows region of the Halifax Harbour.

Installing and monitoring 30 reef balls within the Halifax Harbour will create 0.54 hectares of new habitat to support fish species and shellfish populations. The Narrows reef will complete a network of over 7.5 hectares of reef structures in the Halifax Harbour. The reef will encourage native and migratory-fish species to travel from the mouth of the Halifax Harbour toward the Bedford Basin. Clean Foundation will also work to teach the public about Halifax Harbour’s artificial reef network and the associated benefits for the marine ecosystem.
Funding source: HMCS St. John’s, Fisheries Act

Pictou County Rivers Association
Funding: $25,000
Fish Habitat restoration in the West River watershed, Pictou County, Nova Scotia.

This project focuses on restoration activities for Six Mile Brook, a tributary of the West River. The project’s goal is to improve the stream system by reducing the amount of aggregate material that enters it.
Funding source: Northern Pulp, Fisheries Act

Nature Québec
Funding: $15,000
Preservation of swallows in the Marais de la baie de L'Isle-Verte Important Bird and Biodiversity Area.

The project will

• identify actions to help the survival of the Bank Swallow colony in the Green River
• increase availability of sites suitable for Barn Swallow nesting
• increase the quality and quantity of nesting sites for the Tree Swallow
• document the presence of the American Cliff Swallow, its use of the site, threats, and actions that would ensure its protection in the important bird and biodiversity area

Funding source: Sintra Inc., Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994

The Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq/Mi’kmaw Conservation Group
Funding: $28,139

Barney’s River Atlantic salmon monitoring and habitat restoration.

Through this project, the Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq/Mi’kmaw Conservation Group will improve the Barney’s River tributary in the Pictou Landing First Nation by

• removing illegally dumped waste
• installing 10 fish habitat improvement structures
• installing a 30-metres-long gabion wall

Baffles and a chute will also be installed inside a culvert to help fish migrate. A monitoring program will help determine the effect of the river-restoration work and guide the direction of future work to be done within the Barney’s River watershed.
Funding source: Northern Pulp, Fisheries Act

Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Resources, Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland
Funding: $25,000

Restoration of eelgrass habitat and prioritization of fish-habitat conservation areas.

This project has two primary objectives:

• to use specially designed crab traps to remove green crabs from high-risk eelgrass habitats in Fortune Bay, Newfoundland
• to use drones to assess the size and extent of eelgrass habitat at invaded sites and to develop a repeatable method for rapid assessment of invaded sites

Through this project, Memorial University of Newfoundland will be able to rapidly assess damage once invasions occur and prioritize restoration action.
Funding source: Iron Ore Company of Canada, Fisheries Act

Core leadership team of Acadia of the Lands and Forests
Funding: $200,000

Ensuring healthy habitat management for native fish in the Upper Saint John River.
This project focuses on restoration activities for the native brook trout habitat in two subbasins of the Upper Saint John River.
Funding source: Twin Rivers Paper Company Inc., Fisheries Act

Research and development project

Maliseet Nation Conservation Council
Funding: $55,000

Saint John River management planning.

The Maliseet Nation Conservation Council will host the International Watershed Management Workshop to provide an opportunity to gather expertise regarding issues within the Upper Saint John River basin watershed. Additionally, a sustainable business model will be created for the Saint John River basin.
Funding source: Twin Rivers Paper Company Inc., Fisheries Act

Total project funding (January 2017) – Atlantic and Quebec regions: $446,139
Total project value: $615,035