CANADA, January 12 - The province is providing the PEI Watershed Alliance with $2 million so that individual member groups can apply for project funding. 

The funding will go to the Alliance and individual member groups will apply to the Alliance to receive the funding. The intent is that the new money will allow groups to accomplish bigger projects that they did not have funding for in the past.

 “We have done a lot of work to protect water on Prince Edward Island. The PEI Watershed Alliance is one of the key partners we work alongside to ensure we are taking the right actions. I hope the Watershed Alliance sees this significant investment as a true indication that we recognize how very important watersheds are on PEI.”

- Environment, Energy and Climate Action Minister Steven Myers

Watershed groups benefit the provincial economy and society, as well as the environment. 

In 2020, watershed groups in PEI:

• raised more than $2.1 million from sources other than the provincial government;
• directly employed 204 Islanders (mostly in rural areas); and,
• generated nearly 3,650 weeks of paid work with a payroll in excess of $2.7 million. 

“The PEI Watershed Alliance is happy to partner with government on this project. This funding will support our member watershed groups’ efforts to make long-term improvements to the health of PEI’s land and water resources,” said Mike Durant, Chair, PEI Watershed Alliance.

Media contact: Jill Edwards Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action jedwards@gov.pe.ca