Millions of dollars collected by the federal government through fines levied on big polluters have sat unused in a conservation fund intended to be used for environmental initiatives, a recent audit found.
The Environmental Damages Fund (EDF), managed by Environment and Climate Change (ECCC) Minister Steven Guilbeault’s department, was established in 1995 to use funds from environmental fines for “projects that support restoration of damage to the natural environment and wildlife conservation.”
Since 2014, the fund has amassed nearly $250 million, but only $108.8 million has been used on conservation projects, according to an ECCC report titled “Evaluation of Environmental Damages Fund Evaluation,” as first reported by Blacklock’s Reporter….