New Brunswick Distributes $2.2M in Environmental Trust Grants for Watershed Protection

FREDERICTON, NB — Minister of Environment and Climate Change Gilles LePage announced the distribution of more than $2.2 million from the provincial Environmental Trust Fund (ETF) Thursday evening, funding 45 grassroots environmental stewardship and climate adaptation projects across New Brunswick.

Environmental Trust Fund Allocations and Wetland Restoration

The funding delivers dedicated capital to community watershed groups, First Nations environmental monitors, and municipal conservation authorities. Priority initiatives include coastal dune restoration along the Acadian Peninsula, living shoreline erosion stabilization in the Bay of Fundy, and real-time water quality telemetry in the Saint John River watershed to protect wild Atlantic salmon habitat.

Minister LePage highlighted that community-driven watershed management is essential for protecting drinking water supplies and shielding coastal infrastructure from storm surges.

Municipal Flood Resilience and Youth Engagement

Grants also support local municipal stormwater mitigation engineering in Moncton and Saint John, alongside climate literacy programs in regional francophone and anglophone school districts.

Environmental non-profit organizations praised the funding, noting that local ecological monitoring provides invaluable data for provincial land-use planning.

Project Commencement Timetable

Approved environmental restoration work and riverbank planting projects will commence across funded regional sites in September 2026.