New Brunswick announces $2.5 million Environmental Trust Fund

Anyone with a green idea to make New Brunswick a better place can now apply for the Environmental Trust Fund, a new program the province announced on Wednesday.

The province says the Environmental Trust Fund will provide assistance for projects with tangible, measurable results, intended to protect, and preserve New Brunswick’s natural environment.

“It’s funded through our redemption programs basically so it is the people of New Brunswick buying redeemable products; soda and alcoholic beverages and when those redemptions happen that money moves over into ETF,” said Jeff Carr, the province’s Minister of Environment and Local Government.

The fund is investing around $2.5 million into more than 60 projects focused on combatting climate change.

First Nations, community groups, municipalities, and non-profit New Brunswick organizations furthering sustainable development are eligible to apply for the Environmental Trust Fund.

Louise Comeau, a research associate at the Univerity of New Brunswick, says that more needs to be done in addition to the funding, including provincially coordinated publication campaign program on climate change.

“[The campaign would] educate New Brunswickers about climate change, what it is what causes it and what we all can do about it,” said Coumeau.

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Projects that will receive funding include investigating how rivers and lakes are affected by a warmer climate, the study of coastal erosion and developing adaptation plans for communities.

“To continue to promote the work that is being done but to continue to promote as well the work that we need to do, assisting our communities and our nonprofits and our NGO’s to increase their frequency in the communities and their discussions and their adaptivity plans,” said Carr.

Over the coming weeks and months a climate change adaptation committee will meet publicly to determine what impacts and risks climate change will have on city services, operations, infrastructure and assets.