As a Nature and Wildlife Advocate, I believe New Brunswickers should be deeply concerned about the questions being raised surrounding our province's Environmental Trust Fund.
The Environmental Trust Fund was created to support projects that protect, preserve and enhance New Brunswick's natural environment. It can support important work involving conservation, water, wetlands, climate change, environmental research and community-based environmental initiatives.
However, recent findings from the Auditor General of New Brunswick raise serious concerns. The audit found that the fund had accumulated a surplus of almost $41 million, while some eligible projects were reportedly denied funding or received less than they requested. The Auditor General also found a lack of standardized evaluation, long-term planning and measurable outcomes for the fund.
That should concern every New Brunswicker who cares about our forests, wetlands, rivers, wildlife and natural spaces.
Environmental organizations and community groups are often the people doing important work on the ground. They monitor wildlife, protect habitat, restore ecosystems, educate the public and help communities respond to the growing challenges facing our environment. When funding is available but is not being effectively directed toward environmental action, we need to ask why.
New Brunswick is facing real environmental challenges. Wildlife habitat continues to face pressure, wetlands and waterways need protection, and climate change is already affecting communities across our province. We cannot afford for money intended to support environmental protection to sit unused without a clear and transparent plan for how it will make a difference.
I am not saying that every project should automatically receive funding. Accountability and proper evaluation are important. But transparency must go both ways. If environmental groups are expected to demonstrate why their projects deserve public support, government should also be able to demonstrate clearly how the Environmental Trust Fund is being managed and what environmental results New Brunswickers are receiving from it.
The province now has an opportunity to improve the system. The Auditor General made nine recommendations aimed at strengthening oversight, planning, performance measurement and reporting. Those recommendations should not simply sit on a shelf.
As a Nature and Wildlife Advocate, I believe the Environmental Trust Fund should be exactly what its name promises: a fund that actively helps protect New Brunswick's environment.
Our wildlife does not have a voice in government.
Our forests cannot attend public meetings.
Our rivers cannot ask where the funding has gone.
That is why advocates, environmental organizations and everyday New Brunswickers must continue asking questions and demanding transparency and meaningful action.
Protecting nature is not something we can keep putting off. The money, the programs and the people willing to do the work must come together before more opportunities to protect New Brunswick's natural environment are lost.
— Keith Dennis Brewer
Nature and Wildlife Advocate
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