Minister Stewart Announces $620,604 in EcoAction 2000 Funding for Environmental Projects in Ontario (Northern Ontario Projects)
TORONTO - May 10, 1999 - Grass roots environmental efforts gain further support in Canada. Environment Minister Christine Stewart today announced the commitment of $620,604 in funding for 22 environmental projects by community groups in the province of Ontario.
Three projects have been funded in Northern Ontario. They are the Sagamok Community Tree Planting, Garden River First Nation Environmental Remediation project and the Temagami Waterway and Wilderness Site Protection project.
"Grass roots engagement is the key to strong environmental work. These projects demonstrate that local action by local citizens is the best way to achieve results that give Canadians a cleaner environment and ensure a healthy legacy," said Minister Stewart. "These projects will foster a new sense of community pride and a renewed commitment to the concept of environmental citizenship."
Funded by the EcoAction 2000 program, projects must result in positive, measurable environmental benefits and build public awareness of priority environmental issues such as clean air, climate change, clean water and nature. They must also respond to community needs and obtain a minimum of 50 per cent in matching funding or in-kind support from other sponsors. Submission deadlines for the program are February 1st and October 1st of each year.
Environment Canada also offers community assistance through an initiative called Millennium Eco-Communities. The initiative provides information support to groups and individuals to build their capacity in identifying and resolving local environmental issues, as well as an on-line registry for communities to share best practices and new ideas with other groups across Canada. A web site organizes this information to provide communities with the tools they need to effectively deal with areas of environmental concern at the local level.
Information on current and past EcoAction 2000 projects can be found at http://www.ec.gc.ca/ecoaction/. The Millennium Eco-Communities web site can be accessed at http://www.ec.gc.ca/eco/. A backgrounder on Millennium Eco Communities is attached.
See the attached Backgrounder for more information about the Northern Ontario area projects. A complete backgrounder on all Ontario projects is available upon request.
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