Local Environmental Groups in Limbo As Ottawa Reviews Their Future

By DENNIS BUECKERT

OTTAWA (CP) – Environment Canada is reviewing its funding for a bundle of programs that support grassroots environment groups across the country.

Some of those groups are in crisis mode since they expected funding in April, and are having trouble paying staff, but a spokesman for Environment Minister John Baird suggested Thursday that there was nothing unusual about the funding delays.

“This is an annual process and we’re moving forward as the department does every year to evaluate and make decisions,” said Mike Van Soelen. “We may be a few weeks behind where we were in a typical year.”

Critics say the current situation follows a pattern seen with literacy groups last year, when funding was first delayed and then terminated.

“Clearly they’ve bundled all the programs that in any way might support environmental work by citizens’ groups and are apparently making some kind of decision on the future of it, that’s what’s going on,” said David Coon of the New Brunswick Conservation Council.

“It’s putting a lot of smaller organizations into jeopardy.”

Among the programs in question:

-The EcoAction Community Funding Program which provides financial support to community groups for projects “that have measurable, positive impacts on the environment,” in the words of the Environment Canada web site.

-Learning for a Sustainable Future, which “works with educators from across Canada to in tegrate the concepts and principles of sustainable development into the curricula at all grade levels,” also according to the official web site.

-The Atlantic Coastal Action Program set up by Environment Canada 1991 “to mobilize local communities to address their own environmental and developmental challenges.” The programs supports 16 local groups throughout the four Atlantic provinces.

-The Canadian Environmental Network, which provides basic networking services for some 800 environmental groups across the country. That group has warned its employees they may get layoff notices next week.

Liberal MP Geoff Regan said the Atlantic groups are being starved for funding while the government sits on a multibillion dollar surplus.

“These are all groups that are working to preserve and enhance our coastal ecosystems. That’s incredibly important. We’re talking here about restoring and sustaining key watersheds and adjacent coastal areas.

“It also happens to provide a lot of university students with their first jobs and sometimes with summer jobs. It enables these young people to put their training to use for the benefit of local communities.”

He said some groups have already hired people and have had them working for a month or two on the assumption they would get funding as they have in the past.

“It reminds me of the way the Harper government treated literacy groups last year. It seems like the Conservatives aren’t interested in any groups that don’t fit their neocon ideology.”

But Van Soelen hinted there is still hope for the groups.

“We hope to have decisions made shortly so everyone can go about the work they need to do.”