News release

Province Accepts Auditor General’s Climate Change Funding Recommendations

Environment and Climate Change

Nova Scotians are experiencing the impacts of climate change and expect the government to lead the way forward and help them adapt, make their homes energy efficient and move the province to clean, affordable energy. They also welcome new jobs and opportunities in the green economy. Funding programs and partnerships are one way the Province is helping Nova Scotians with these priorities.

In support of this work, the Department of Environment and Climate Change accepts recommendations issued today, February 28, by the Auditor General.

“I want to thank the Auditor General for her recommendations, which will help us improve the monitoring, reporting, procurement and administration of our funding programs and strengthen and improve the transparency of our work,” said Timothy Halman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change. “We have agreed to reflect her recommendations in our work going forward. I am pleased that she acknowledges that our partners are effectively delivering programs for the benefit of Nova Scotians. I want to thank our partners who are doing outstanding work to get Nova Scotians off oil, make their homes energy efficient, reduce their energy bills, and so much more – together we are creating a more sustainable and prosperous future.”

One of the issues identified by the Auditor General is that the Green Fund was not guided by a climate plan. The Province began work to close this gap in the fall of 2021 by introducing the Environmental Goals and Climate Change Reduction Act, which serves as the climate strategy roadmap. And last year, the plan Our Climate, Our Future: Nova Scotia’s Climate Change Plan for Clean Growth was released. It includes 68 actions to guide investments and the work of the Department and its funding program partners.

As the Department designs the new Nova Scotia Climate Change Fund, which will replace the Green Fund, it will reflect the Auditor General’s recommendations and funding decisions will be guided by the climate plan.

Quotes:

“Clean Foundation is committed to helping Nova Scotian communities make real progress toward a cleaner future in support of the Environmental Goals and Climate Change Reduction Act and the Province’s climate change plan. Our programs range from supporting youth to enter the clean economy to building knowledge around electrification of transportation. We are focused on meeting the important outcomes of our initiatives and support the Province’s implementation of the AG’s recommendations.”

– Scott Skinner, President and CEO, Clean Foundation

“The funding provided to EfficiencyOne through the Green Fund helps us continue to support Nova Scotians to achieve their energy goals, save money, conserve resources, improve well-being and combat climate change. Our independent and transparent administration model ensures that the multi-year funding we receive is used for its intended purpose while also providing certainty for industry and longer-term planning with respect to program design, capacity and supply.”

– Stephen MacDonald, President and CEO, EfficiencyOne

Quick Facts:

  • the Green Fund was created in 2017; it collected and invested revenue from cap-and-trade auctions
  • in 2021, the Environmental Goals and Climate Change Reduction Act set a new direction for how Nova Scotia will respond to climate change, increase the supply of renewable and clean energy, improve energy efficiency of homes and buildings, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create a more sustainable, cleaner economy and environment
  • in 2022, the government introduced legislation to end the cap-and-trade system and the Green Fund; cap-and-trade will be replaced with a new carbon pricing system – output-based pricing – for large industry and the electricity sector
  • the Green Fund collected $73.7 million in revenue from cap-and-trade auctions held in 2020 and 2021; about $28.8 million was allocated to programs in 2020, and about $44.9 million was allocated in 2021
  • the 2022 cap-and-trade auctions collected $52 million in revenue, which will be spent on actions in Our Climate, Our Future; no spending decisions have been made yet

Additional Resources:

Our Climate, Our Future: Nova Scotia’s Climate Plan for Clean Growth: https://climatechange.novascotia.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/ns-climate-change-plan.pdf

Some of the recent projects funded by the Green Fund:

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