Funding Today, But What About Tomorrow? The Uncertain Future of New Brunswick’s Environmental Trust Fund

 There is good news for environmental and community organizations across central and western New Brunswick. More than $2.2 million has recently been distributed through the provincial Environmental Trust Fund to support 45 community-based projects. Across the province, the government says the 2026-27 funding program represents an overall investment of $7.9 million supporting 173 grassroots initiatives.

These projects matter.

They support the people and organizations working to protect wetlands, watersheds, natural spaces and communities. They can contribute to environmental education, conservation, climate action and other initiatives that help protect the places and wildlife that make New Brunswick special.

As a Nature and Wildlife Advocate, I welcome this funding and congratulate the organizations and communities receiving support. Environmental work does not happen by accident. It takes dedicated people, research, planning and resources.

But while today's announcement is positive, an important question remains:

What happens when the money runs out?

Environmental advocates have raised concerns about the long-term future of the Environmental Trust Fund and the financial security it provides to non-profit organizations that depend on funding to continue their work. The concern is not simply about one year of projects. It is about whether organizations will have the stability needed to plan for the future.

This uncertainty is especially troubling because environmental protection is not a one-year project.

Protecting a watershed does not end when a grant expires.

Monitoring wildlife does not stop because a funding cycle comes to an end.

Restoring habitat, protecting wetlands, educating communities and responding to climate change require long-term commitment.

The Government of New Brunswick has stated that the Environmental Trust Fund has supported community-based environmental initiatives since 1990 and continues to fund projects focused on environmental protection and sustainable communities.

That history makes the future of the fund even more important.

New Brunswick has many organizations doing valuable work that often goes unnoticed by the average person. They are monitoring water quality, protecting habitat, restoring natural areas, educating young people and communities, and speaking up when environmental concerns arise.

These organizations need more than occasional announcements. They need to know whether they will be able to continue their work next year, and the year after that.

There is also a larger conversation that needs to take place about how the Environmental Trust Fund is managed. The Auditor General previously raised concerns about the fund's oversight, planning and long-term direction, including findings that the department lacked a clear plan for an accumulated surplus that had reached almost $41 million at the time of the audit.

That raises an important point.

New Brunswick needs an Environmental Trust Fund that is not only available today, but one that is transparent, properly managed and sustainable for the future.

We should be celebrating the $2.2 million now going toward 45 projects across central and western New Brunswick. Those projects will make a difference in communities and natural areas throughout the region.

But celebration should not prevent us from asking difficult questions.

What is the long-term plan for the Environmental Trust Fund?

How will environmental organizations maintain stability if future funding becomes uncertain?

And what steps will the provincial government take to ensure that the people working to protect New Brunswick's forests, rivers, wetlands, wildlife and natural spaces can continue their work?

As a Nature and Wildlife Advocate, I believe New Brunswick cannot afford to treat environmental protection as something that can be turned on and off depending on the availability of funding.

Nature does not operate on government funding cycles.

Wildlife does not wait for the next budget.

Environmental problems do not disappear because a grant has ended.

The Environmental Trust Fund has the potential to continue making a major difference across New Brunswick. The recent funding announcement demonstrates just how many organizations and communities are ready and willing to do the work.

Now we need to make sure they have the support and long-term stability to keep doing it.

Because protecting New Brunswick's environment is not just an investment in today.

It is an investment in the future of our wildlife, our communities and the natural places we all call home.

— Keith Dennis Brewer
Nature and Wildlife Advocate