The Ontario Community Environment Fund's mission is to allocate funds from environmental penalties to community-driven initiatives that aim to mend and enhance natural environments. This includes activities such as shoreline cleanups, habitat restoration, and tree planting, supporting healthy communities while safeguarding the land, air, and water.
The grant program's broad goal is to use monies collected from environmental violations to fund local projects that address and rectify environmental damage within the communities affected by such violations. Specifically, the Ontario Community Environment Fund looks to support projects dedicated to environmental restoration and remediation, and bolstering the resilience of communities against environmental challenges. These projects can range from planting vegetation to mitigate climate change impacts, rebuilding fish habitats, stabilizing stream banks to prevent nutrient runoff, and enhancing water quality to installing infrastructure like rain gardens to combat flooding and support climate adaptation. The fund is designated for use within the specific regions where the environmental violations occurred, ensuring that the communities most impacted by environmental harm can benefit from restoration and improvement projects.