13/10/2005
- The Honourable Stéphane Dion, Minister of the
Environment, today announced the 10th anniversary of
Canada’s Ecological Gifts Program upon the celebration
of the donation of Grant’s Woods by local landowner,
William Grant, to the Couchiching Conservancy.
“Canada’s Ecological Gifts Program, which provides income
tax incentives to encourage private or corporate landowners
to protect ecologically sensitive lands, is a perfect
illustration of how to use market-based instruments
to protect our natural capital,” said Minister Dion.
“Canadians’ health and our economic prosperity are fundamentally
linked to the quality of our environment. It is with
programs such as this one that Canada will successfully
implement Project Green, the broad environmental vision
that links Canada’s economic competitiveness and prosperity
to a sustainable future.”
Ecological gifts can be donations of land (outright
title) or certain interests in land, including conservation
covenants, easements and servitudes. Donors can choose
to give their ecological gifts to an approved conservation
charity, federal, provincial, or local government agency.
For their ecological gift, corporate donors may deduct
the amount of their gift directly from their taxable
income. Individual ecological gift donors receive a
non-refundable income tax credit of 16 per cent of the
first $200 and 29 per cent on amounts over $200. In
addition, in comparison to regular charitable donations,
there is no income limit for calculating the tax credit,
and half the taxable capital gains. In most provinces
and territories related provincial and territorial income
tax benefits are also available.
“Ecological gifts enable Canadians to contribute to
the stewardship of Canada’s diverse natural capital,”
said Minister Dion. “Since the program’s inception in
1995, Canadians have donated 462 ecological gifts, protecting
over 40,000 hectares of ecologically sensitive land,
valued at over $125 million. What’s more, over one-third
of those ecological gifts contain habitats designated
as having national or provincial importance and many
include rare or threatened habitats for species at risk.”
Grant’s Woods is 21 hectares in size and now protects
a valuable diverse, mature upland forest in perpetuity.
Its recipient, the Couchiching Conservancy, established
in 1993, is a community-based land trust in Orillia,
Ontario, and an active ecological gift recipient. It
is a leading member of the Ontario Land Trust Alliance.
The Ecological Gifts Program was first established in
1995 through improvements to the Income Tax Act. Subsequent
improvements were made in 1997, 1998 and 2000. The majority
of ecological gifts have been made subsequent to the
enhancements provided by Budget 2000. For more information
on this program, visit http://www.cws-scf.ec.gc.ca/ecogifts/intro_e.cfm.
Project Green is a set of policies and programs aimed
at supporting a sustainable environment, healthy population
and competitive economy. It addresses environmental
and competitiveness issues for the 21st century including
measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to increase
fuel and energy efficiency and to increase Canadian
and foreign markets for environmental technologies that
can drive our economy and protect our environment and
health. Through Project Green’s policies and programs,
Canada can set an international example by developing
effective model solutions for the long-term health of
the planet. |