Program directory · Environment and Climate Change Canada
Community and Sustainability
- Department
- Environment and Climate Change Canada
- Program code
- BGS03 (EC)
- Core responsibility
- Preventing and Managing Pollution
- In Departmental Plans
- 2018-19 – 2025-26 · Appeared and later dropped
What it does
The Community and Sustainability Program is a suite of initiatives aimed at increasing Canadians’ participation in activities to protect, conserve and restore the environment. The Environmental Damages Fund (EDF) is a Specified Purpose Account for managing funds received in compensation for environmental damage. The purpose for directing compensation to the EDF (via court awards, fines, voluntary contributions) is to achieve restoration of damage to natural environment and wildlife conservation. Funding to employers for youth internships through the Science Horizons Youth Internship Program under the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy enables youth to acquire the skills, learning experiences and opportunities they need to find and maintain employment or return to school. The Federal Sustainable Development Strategy and the Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators bring together targets, information, and indicators to enable the consideration of sustainable development in environmental decision-making of Canadians, the federal government and Parliament.
Source: the department's Program Inventory, via GC InfoBase.
History and lineage
First appears in GC InfoBase's actual spending by program in 2018-19. The data does not record when a program was created; it may be older than its first appearance here, which is limited by the sources (program spending starts in 2010-11, Departmental Plans in 2018-19).
| Program | Relation | Years with data | Actual spending over those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community and Sustainability | This program | 2018-19 – 2027-28 | $206M |
No earlier or later program in the same department has a similar name.
Significant changes in scope and budget
Detected from the data: renames between plans, programs it appears to replace, merge with or split into (matched by name), year-over-year changes in spending of at least 25% and $5M, or in employees of at least 20% and 25 FTEs, linked budget measures, and results indicators added or dropped.
| Year | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | Spending $49.5M, against $24.2M in 2020-21 (+104%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2022-23 | Indicators added: Percentage of target audience that confirmed modification in behavior as a result of project activities; Number of youth served | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2022-23 | Indicators dropped: Number of green jobs created under the youth internship program | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2022-23 | Spending $26.2M, against $49.5M in 2021-22 (−47%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2024-25 | Indicators dropped: Number of Canadians engaged in activities funded by the EcoAction Program | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2025-26 | Indicators added: Number of youth served who have received funding for an internship; Percentage of Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS) and Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy (DSDS) targets that are measurable and time-bound | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2025-26 | Indicators dropped: Number of visits to the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy web site; Number of youth served | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2025-26 | Renamed from “Community Eco-Action” to “Community and Sustainability”. | GC InfoBase program names by year |
| 2026-27 | Planned spending $12.2M, against $27.6M in 2025-26 (−56%). | Latest Departmental Plan |
Success criteria
The program's indicators from its department's Departmental Results Framework: the target set in each year's plan, and the result reported the following year. Source: GC InfoBase.
Historical: targets against results
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | ≥ 400 | 2019 | 568 568 is based on results from the 2017-18 fiscal year | Met |
| 2019-20 | ≥ 500 | 2020 | 9,492 2019-20 results are from 2018-19. Environmental Damages Fund reports results from one prior fiscal year to ensure that all results from closed projects are accounted for. | Met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ 500 | 2021 | 634.4 Results are from 2019-20. EDF reports results from one prior fiscal year to ensure that all results from closed projects are accounted for. | Met |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 1,000 | 2022 | 7,948 | Met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ 1,750 | 2023 | 304.3 Of the 19 Environmental Damages Fund (EDF) projects that closed this fiscal year, 11 exceeded the project-specific targets. However, there are several reasons why the overall target was not reached: - EDF funded projects are entirely dependent upon the number and amounts in fines directed to the EDF. - Since the creation of the Climate Action and Awareness Fund (CAAF), the program’s capacity has… | Not met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 10,500 | 2024 | 9,893 Part of the rationale for not meeting target includes one project underachieving their target due to a shift in project operational activites and reprioritization driven by response to bullfrog control measures and revised priority assigned to higher-risk aquatic areas. Also several projects tracking this indicator were extended, with results to be reported in the next fiscal year. Environmental… | Not met |
| 2024-25 | ≥ 780 | 2025 | 2,427 The target was exceeded due to ambitious project goals, with several projects surpassing expectations. Notably, two projects significantly outperformed their targets through effective management, additional external funding, and strong partner collaboration, enabling restoration and environmental improvements over a larger area. | Met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | ≥ 230,000 | 2021 | 239,188 | Met |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 230,000 | 2022 | 305,337 | Met |
| 2022-23 | Target TBD by 2023 | 2023 | 321,647 visits | No result reported |
| 2023-24 | N/A: Indicator is being revised and will be resubmitted with changes in 2023/24. | 2024 | 342,954 No target was identified for 2023-24 due to changes in the application's methods for determining the number of website visits. The target is recorded as 'met' based as it is best suited to the situation, given the target set for 2024-25 of 300,000. | Met |
| 2024-25 | ≥ 250,000 | 2025 | 322,492 | Met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | ≥ 75% | 2023 | 65.6% The reported result is an average of the percentage values provided by Climate Action and Awareness Fund, Youth Education and Awareness projects. Most projects reported results that exceeded the target, however, one project out of the ten reported a low percentage due to poor participant turnout as a result of COVID-19 because of provincial gathering restrictions, increased caution from intended… | Not met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 75% | 2024 | 78% Result provided reflects 2022-23 as the final information for the 2023-24 fiscal year was not available in time for the report of 2023-24. The 2023-24 result will be available in the 2024-25 report. *Due to a change in methodology, the starting point for this indicator has been revised to 65.6% in 2022-23. | Met |
| 2024-25 | ≥ 70% | 2025 | 75% | Met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | ≥ 30,000 | 2021 | 31,805 | Met |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 30,000 | 2022 | 38,953 | Met |
| 2022-23 | Target TBD by 2023 | 2023 | 56,625 visits | No result reported |
| 2023-24 | N/A: Indicator is being revised and will be resubmitted with changes in 2023/24. | 2024 | 42,782 visits This indicator will be kept noting that work is still underway in revising with an aim to finalize by 2026-27. A new indicator and target will be established in 2026-27. | No result reported |
| 2024-25 | The indicator is currently under review and it may be replaced with another. | 2025 | 25,339 Indicator will be removed as it is not a sound measurement of the program outcome. A new indicator is being finalized and will be used to measure progress for 2025-2026. The new indicator that will replace this one will be more meaningful - “Percentage of Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS) and Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy (DSDS) targets that are measurable and time-b… | No result reported |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | ≥ 97 | 2023 | 578 | Met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 97 | 2024 | 650 * As a result of additional investments, the target increased to 581 youth served by 2023-24. Some internships that started in the 2023-24 fiscal year are ongoing. Reporting for 2023-24 is preliminary and could change as more results are recorded. Final results are expected to be available for the 2024-25 DSDS Report. | Met |
| 2024-25 | ≥ 581 | 2025 | 693 | Met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | ≥ 65,000 | 2019 | 78,535 based on results from the 2016-17 fiscal year. | Met |
| 2019-20 | ≥ 65,000 | 2020 | 120,079 Data represents projects closed in 2016-17 | Met |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 110,000 | 2022 | 1,104,274 | Met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ 563,273 | 2023 | 1,164,291 | Met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 794,292 | 2024 | 1,158,010 | Met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | ≥ 868 | 2019 | 887 N/A. | Met |
| 2019-20 | ≥ 969 | 2020 | 949 S/O | Not met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ 179 | 2021 | — Indicator retired and replaced by new indicator. | No result reported |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 179 | 2022 | — Result not available | No result reported |
Current: the 2026-27 plan's targets
No indicators in the 2026-27 plan.
Future goals: targets due after 2026-27
No targets with a later due date.
Spending and employees: planned against actual
Spending
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | $28.5M | $25.2M |
| 2019-20 | $15.6M | $25M |
| 2020-21 | $15.8M | $24.2M |
| 2021-22 | $16.4M | $49.5M |
| 2022-23 | $27.6M | $26.2M |
| 2023-24 | $16.7M | $29.2M |
| 2024-25 | $27.7M | $26.4M |
| 2025-26 | $27.6M | — |
| 2026-27 | $12.2M* | — |
| 2027-28 | $12.2M* | — |
Employees (FTEs)
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 70 | 61 |
| 2019-20 | 62 | 62 |
| 2020-21 | 66 | 55 |
| 2021-22 | 52 | 64 |
| 2022-23 | 60 | 59 |
| 2023-24 | 58 | 57 |
| 2024-25 | 45 | 61 |
| 2025-26 | 48 | — |
| 2026-27 | 47* | — |
| 2027-28 | 47* | — |
Planned spending, plan by plan
Each row is one year's Departmental Plan and its forecast for the next three fiscal years; read a column down to see how the forecast for one year changed. The last row is what was actually spent. Click an amount for its source. Biggest changes in federal spending plans
| Plan | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 plan | $28,549,263 | $17,192,233 | $17,192,233 | |||||||
| 2019-20 plan | $15,625,692 | $15,611,971 | $15,611,967 | |||||||
| 2020-21 plan | $15,797,890 | $15,853,691 | $15,873,266 | |||||||
| 2021-22 plan | $16,409,823 | $16,424,054 | $16,424,054 | |||||||
| 2022-23 plan | $27,640,661 | $16,361,395 | $15,843,221 | |||||||
| 2023-24 plan | $16,721,050 | $16,202,031 | $15,921,820 | |||||||
| 2024-25 plan | $27,729,603 | $12,343,715 | $12,238,651 | |||||||
| 2025-26 plan | $27,631,476 | $12,222,195 | $12,222,195 | |||||||
| Actual | $25,229,074 | $25,036,653 | $24,235,238 | $49,541,604 | $26,232,874 | $29,204,079 | $26,440,078 |
Actual spending is from Departmental Results Reports and the Public Accounts, as published in GC InfoBase. FTEs are full-time equivalents.
