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March 5, 2010 (Ottawa) —The Green Budget Coalition (GBC), comprising 21 of Canada's leading environmental and conservation organisations, stated today that it is encouraged by the important investments in water and natural capital indicators in the 2010 federal budget, but disappointed overall that the budget did not include the actions necessary for Canadians to transition to a green economy and to protect our country's biodiversity and ecosystems. The GBC also expressed concern about the questionable changes to environmental assessments.

The GBC's three priority recommendations for Budget 2010 focused on: ecosystems and biodiversity; water; and renewable energy.

"We are encouraged to see new investments in Canada's freshwater," said Barry Turner, Green Budget Coalition Chair, "including for cleaning up Areas of Concern and upgrading First Nations' infrastructure, as well as for protection from invasive species in the face of the current Asian Carp threat. Federal leadership is crucial to protecting Canada's limited freshwater resources and wetlands. We are also pleased to see funding to continue Canada's valuable natural capital indicators for two more years."

"However, amidst International Year of Biodiversity, in the lead-up to hosting the G8 and G20, we are disappointed that the budget contained no new funding to protect our biodiversity and to meet our commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity," said Mara Kerry, Nature Canada's Conservation Director.

"Furthermore, this budget was a critical missed opportunity to invest in clean energy jobs and to live up to the climate change commitment to developing countries reiterated in the Throne Speech," said Tim Weis of the Pembina Institute. "Canada will be falling behind countries worldwide in supporting clean energy and thus missing out on the numerous economic advantages available to those leading the way to a greener economy."

The GBC also assessed other measures as:

Beneficial:

• Home retrofits funding.
• Support for clean energy technologies in the forestry sector.
• Expanded eligibility for Income Tax Act Class 43.2 for clean energy generation.
• Regional and remote rail service support.
• Community-based environmental monitoring.
• CEAA consultations with Aboriginal Canadians.
• CRA shift towards using email instead of paper mail.
• Action Plan funding for water and wastewater infrastructure, home energy efficiency, transit, rail, clean-up of contaminated sites, social housing retrofits, Green Infrastructure Fund, and Clean Energy Fund.

Damaging:

• Reduced funding to Environment Canada, Natural Resources Canada, and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.
• Extension of the Mineral Exploration Tax Credit.

Risky:

• Responsibility for environmental assessments of energy projects delegated to National Energy Board and Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, from Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency.
• Red Tape Reduction Commission.

The budget made no progress on GBC recommendations for:

• Protecting and expanding Canada's system of protected areas (including national parks, national wildlife areas, national marine conservation areas, and marine protected areas) or wetlands.
• Renewing renewable energy incentives, establishing green energy bonds, and mapping Canada's geothermal potential.
• Recycling metals and minerals.
• Ending chrysotile asbestos subsidies.
• Extending Ecogifts tax incentives.
• Pricing greenhouse gas emissions.

The Green Budget Coalition's members are Bird Studies Canada, Canadian Environmental Law Association, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, Centre for Integral Economics, David Suzuki Foundation, Ducks Unlimited Canada, Ecojustice Canada, Environmental Defence, Équiterre, Friends of the Earth Canada, Greenpeace Canada, International Institute for Sustainable Development, MiningWatch Canada, Nature Canada, Nature Conservancy of Canada, Pembina Institute, Pollution Probe, Sierra Club Canada, Social Investment Organization, Wildlife Habitat Canada, and WWF-Canada.

The GBC submits priority recommendations for each annual federal budget. The GBC's full Recommendations for Budget 2010: Investing in a Prosperous Green Future document is available at http://www.greenbudget.ca/2010/main.html.

The GBC will also be issuing a more detailed environmental impact summary and analysis of Budget 2010.

For more information, please contact:

General:
Andrew Van Iterson, Program Manager, Green Budget Coalition, 613-562-3447 ext. 243, avaniterson@naturecanada.ca

Barry Turner, Chair, Green Budget Coalition; Director, Government Relations, Ducks Unlimited Canada, 613-565-5294, b_turner@ducks.ca

For specific recommendations:
1) Biodiversity & ecosystems – Mara Kerry, Nature Canada, 613-562-3447 ext. 238, mkerry@naturecanada.ca

2) Freshwater – Celeste Côté, Sierra Club Canada, 613-240-3838, celestec@sierraclub.ca

3) Renewable energy – Tim Weis, Pembina Institute, 613-601-6519, timw@pembina.org

4) Climate action in developing countries – Clare Demerse, Pembina Institute, 613-216-1976 ext. 24, c 613-762-7449, clared@pembina.org

www.greenbudget.ca

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