Oct 07, 2024
The city spent almost a quarter-million dollars last year to fight climate change with things like dream catchers, beadwork and cooking classes.
City hall approved $219,500 worth of grants in 2023, the first year of Toronto’s Indigenous climate action grants program, according to documents obtained by the Sun via a freedom-of-information request.
The documents show the program blew past the $200,000 budgeted by the city’s environment and climate division by nearly 10%.
The program offers grants of up to $20,000 “to support local Indigenous communities in undertaking projects and initiatives that help to address the climate emergency and protect the environment,” according to a city news release from when the initiative was announced in June 2023. (Unlike this program, city hall publicly announces the recipients of similar but smaller grants meant for youth and neighbourhood groups.)