About the Environmental Damages Fund...
The 'Polluter Pays' Principle
The Environmental Damages Fund (EDF) helps ensure polluters take responsibility for their actions. It gives courts a way to guarantee that the money from 
pollution penalties and settlements is directly invested to repair the actual harm done by the pollution.
Environment Canada collaborates with other federal departments including the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and Transport Canada to use the EDF in support of several pieces of environmental legislation such as the Federal Fisheries Act, the Canada Shipping Act, the Canadian Wildlife Act among others.
Environment Canada administers the fund, and accounts for each award separately, so that the money can then be used to fund projects in the same community in which the pollution has occurred.
The money in the fund is allocated to local organizations, who often use it as seed money to find partners who contribute additional money and resources. Groups who receive funding must carry out their projects in a technically feasible, scientifically sound and cost-effective way.
Eligible Organizations
- Non-governmental organizations (such as community based environmental groups)
- Universities
- Aboriginal groups
- Provincial, territorial and municipal governments
Project Funding Priorities
Projects that are considered a top priority for funding are those which restore natural resources, preferably in the same area where the pollution occurred. Other types of projects that may be considered for funding include:
- Research and development on environmental damage assessment and restoration
- Education on pollution prevention and the restoration of natural resources
Applications for Environmental Damages Fund projects are reviewed by a team of experts from Environment Canada and other federal departments, such as the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and Transport Canada.
