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The Community Interaction Program (CIP) introduces a new approach
The CIP is turning over a new leaf. After some 15 years of funding a wide range of community projects aimed at protecting the St. Lawrence ecosystem, the Community Interaction Program of the St. Lawrence Plan for Sustainable Development (SLP) is being updated and improved. One of the advantages of this new and improved approach is that the responsible departments will now be able to solicit proposals from organizations. This new approach will maximize the environmental impact of projects, since projects can now be broader in scope, while providing continuing support to the selected groups for the development of their proposals.
“The objectives remain the same,” explains Manon Therriault, program manager for Environment Canada: “Our goal continues to be to encourage riverside communities to participate in the protection and enhancement of the resources and uses of the St. Lawrence. In fact, we hope that this enhancement of the program will result in projects that are more closely aligned with these objectives, and that incorporate actions that address major regional issues and have a real impact on the ecosystem.”
“In recent years, fewer proposals have been submitted to the program,” states Ms. Therriault, “mainly because the amount of funding provided was not sufficient to implement concrete actions on the St. Lawrence River. The project applications we were receiving were mainly for projects relating to awareness raising as well as acquisition of knowledge, and fewer and fewer related to concrete actions in the field.”
That, among other reasons, is why the CIP will now take the initiative of requesting proposals from organizations capable of implementing major projects. “We will be more proactive by going and meeting with groups,” notes Guy S. Desmarais, program coordinator for the Ministère du Développement durable, de l'Environnement et des Parcs du Québec, “and we will have a more targeted approach by funding activities closely tied to the priorities of the St. Lawrence Plan.”
The main changes
Studies related to knowledge acquisition (characterization, inventories, etc.) will continue to be eligible for the CIP, and their funding is being maintained: up to $25,000, for a maximum of 70% of the total value of eligible expenses.
However, another component has been created specifically for action studies, i.e. studies that must be combined with a concrete project in the field. This could involve, for example, feasibility studies or studies to develop the plans and specifications for a subsequent concrete project. But this follow-up project is also part of the application, and both phases are reviewed simultaneously when the file is analyzed by the CIP.
These action studies are eligible for a contribution of $100,000 or $200,000 if they meet the requirements of a call for proposals issued by the program. Previously, the CIP awarded a maximum of $25,000 for studies of this type.
For the actions component strictly speaking (environment enhancement and restoration), the amounts available are also $100,000, or twice as much as previously, or $200,000 in the case of projects submitted in response to a call for proposals. The maximum CIP contribution for project expenses has been increased from 50% to 70%. Projects eligible for this component include habitat restoration, shoreline clean-up, shoreline stabilization by planting vegetation, protection of species at risk, development of riverside trails or observation infrastructures in a context of protection, etc.
Awareness projects (symposia, workshops, discussion forums, etc.) will be eligible for double the contribution compared to the previous program, or $50,000, or even quadruple ($100,000) if the submission is in response to a call for proposals by the CIP. A new feature is that project proponents must be able to measure and demonstrate changes in behaviour attributable to their initiative in the community.
For all projects over $35,000, regardless of the program component, project proponents will have to provide matching funding in cash equal to at least 10% of the CIP contribution. This should not pose any problem, according to Ms. Therriault, since the groups that submit projects will have to find financial partners in the community, and since the partners will be more keen to be involved if they see that the projects will result in concrete achievements.
“It should be pointed out that the land acquisition and conservation agreements component is not being renewed given the lack of interest in this component over the past five years and because there are specific programs for this type of protection at both levels of government,” explains the program coordinator for the Ministère du Développement durable, de l'Environnement et des Parcs du Québec.
Calls for proposals
Calls for proposals by the CIP will be issued through various mechanisms, including the St. Lawrence Plan Web site, based on the priorities set by the coordination committee of the SLP’s Community Involvement component. These calls for proposals will involve major projects, entailing significant costs and usually targeted, such as projects aimed at protecting sensitive environments from erosion or, reclaiming lost public uses. Only groups that meet the program criteria (non-profit non-governmental organizations that have been incorporated for at least one year), with the necessary expertise and working in the targeted environment or community will be eligible to submit a proposal in response to the call for proposals.
If a project is deemed promising, an officer will then be assigned to the proponent organization and will provide assistance and guidance throughout the process. “There will be constant dialogue between the organization and the CIP,” explains Mr. Desmarais: “That way, we can be sure that the project meets program objectives.”
The closing dates for submission of these solicited projects will be indicated in each call for proposals. Groups are encouraged to consult the St. Lawrence Plan Web site to learn about calls for proposals issued in their area.
Obviously, not all projects will result from calls for proposals. As previously, community organizations can still apply for financial assistance without having to go through the call for proposal process. To submit their application, they can consult the Project Presentation Guide directly and complete the accompanying form, available on the SLP Web site. “But we strongly recommend that they first contact a CIP project officer to ensure that their proposal meets program criteria,” stresses Ms. Therriault. An officer will not be specifically assigned to their project, but by submitting a preproposal as early as possible before the registration deadline, they will be able to benefit from the advice of a CIP officer.
For unsolicited projects, in future, there will be only one deadline per year: in mid‑November rather than February 1 and October 1, as was previously the case. For 2008 submissions (the last under the current phase of the Canada-Quebec Agreement on the St. Lawrence), the deadline will be November 14, 2008. Check the SLP Web site for details.
Still a joint program
“The CIP remains a program of the St. Lawrence Plan, and therefore a joint federal-provincial program,” points out Ms. Therriault. All projects are analyzed jointly, regardless of the department reimbursing the costs.
In the context of their new approach, program managers will pay attention to the geographic distribution of funds: freshwater sector–marine zone, urban–rural, etc. “It is not simply a matter of allocating equal funding in each area,” explains Ms. Therriault, “since there are more people, more problems and more groups in the freshwater sector and in urbanized areas. It is simply a matter of taking into consideration the issues in the various sectors.”
The total area covered by the program includes the entire Quebec portion of the St. Lawrence, from the Ontario border to the Gulf, including the Saguenay River, Chaleur Bay, Anticosti and the Magdalen Islands. The ecosystem components in which projects can be carried out include the water, river bed, shores, coastline, islands, archipelagos and fluvial lakes. Tributary sections essential to the life cycle of aquatic species of the St. Lawrence and targeted by the program may also be included.
Over the past 15 years, the CIP has made possible the implementation of nearly 400 community projects along the St. Lawrence. “We hope that the effects of this new approach will be rapidly apparent so that by the next round of projects, it will result in positive impacts on the St. Lawrence ecosystem… this is our real objective,” concluded Ms. Therriault and Mr. Desmarais.
For more information:
Telephone: 418-648‑3537 or 1-800-463‑4311
Fax: 418-649‑6674
E-mail: quebec.interactions_communautaires@ec.gc.ca
Web site: www.planstlaurent.qc.ca
New CIP parameters
Unsolicited proposals |
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Solicited proposals |
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Date modified: 2008/06/19 – Important Notices
