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Ecological Gifts Program: A legacy for tomorrow – a tax break today

Sep 20, 2023 | 10:41 AM

On September 27th, Aleksandra Bugajski, Habitat Stewardship Biologist, Prairie Region, Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada will deiscuss Canada’s Ecological Gifts Program.

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This program provides a way for Canadians with ecologically sensitive land to protect nature and leave a legacy for future generations.

This is made possible by the terms of the Income Tax Act of Canada and the Quebec Taxation Act, it offers significant tax benefits to landowners who donate land or a partial interest in land to an eligible recipient such as a land trust, environmental charity, or government.

Recipients ensure that the land’s biodiversity and environmental heritage are conserved in perpetuity.

The Ecological Gifts Program has reached an important milestone: Canadians have donated over one billion dollars’ worth of ecologically sensitive land for the purpose of conservation since 1995. Over 1,800 ecological gifts have been donated across Canada, protecting more than 240,000 hectares of wildlife habitat, including for many species at risk.

Approximately 45% of these hectares lie within the Prairie region of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, protecting native grasslands, forests, and wetlands.

Each ecological gift, no matter the size, contributes to the creation of a network of protected areas that reaches across every region in Canada and is a true reflection of the value Canadians place on the importance of protecting nature.

Join us to learn more about this important program and its benefits! About the Speaker: Aleksandra is a biologist with the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) and has been the Prairie Regional Coordinator for the Ecological Gifts Program for the past four years.

Hosted by: Caitlin Mroz-Sailer, Stewardship Coordinator, Prairie Conservation Action Plan Presenting Sponsors: Canadian Forage and Grasslands Association, North American Helium, Nutrien, SaskTel and Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association Supporting Sponsor: Environment and Climate Change Canada.

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