Today, the Honorable Julie Dabrusin, Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Nature and Minister responsible for the Canada Water Agency, announced over $4.5 million in funding for 39 new freshwater projects. This includes 34 projects under the EcoAction program (23 for community-led initiatives and 11 for sustainability and innovation) and 5 projects under the Fraser River Freshwater Ecosystem Initiative.
Fresh water in Canada is essential for human health and our well-being and the health of our environment. It supports various economic sectors, fueling prosperity nationwide, and our long-term competitiveness as a country. Moreover, it holds deep cultural and spiritual significance for many Canadians and Indigenous communities.
Administered by the Canada Water Agency, EcoAction supports projects that apply sustainable approaches to improve freshwater quality, ecosystem health, and stewardship. Similarly, the Fraser River Freshwater Ecosystem Initiative supports projects that advance science and knowledge, collaboration and engagement, and on-the-ground actions to reduce nutrients and contaminants in the Fraser River basin.
Among the 39 funding recipients:
- British Columbia Conservation Foundation will receive close to $100,000 to 1) remove harmful tire wear toxins from stormwater runoff before they enter freshwater ecosystems and 2) engage with communities in implementing rain gardens to filter pollutants.
- City of Kelowna will receive $200,000 to develop, in collaboration with the Westbank First Nation, an early-warning tool for cyanobacteria and harmful algae blooms and establish a monitoring and response network. This will support climate resilience and strengthen Indigenous leadership in protecting water.
- Sumas First Nation will receive over $153,000, starting in 2025-2026, to host a series of collaborative workshops. The workshops will integrate Indigenous and Western knowledge and data to deepen understanding of environmental stressors affecting salmon, sturgeon, and waterfowl in the Sumas River sub-basin, and to identify potential restoration actions.
Concrete initiatives like these will result in improved water quality, biodiversity, and long-term environmental stewardship, while also creating lasting economic and social value.
Through the Canada Water Agency, the Government of Canada is strengthening coordination and collaboration with provinces, territories, and Indigenous Peoples to address freshwater challenges and opportunities. It is creating opportunities to enhance knowledge-sharing, advance innovative freshwater stewardship and management solutions, and build a brighter freshwater future for Canadians.
