Defending a healthy environment for Canadians

For over forty years, Environmental Defence has worked with governments, industry and supporters like you to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities for people in Canada.

Environment Defence takes on the challenges facing Canada today, from devastating wildfires and floods, to threats to forests and farmlands, to plastic pollution and toxic spills.

Keep reading to learn about our key success over the past year thanks to your support.

What We Achieved

$8.1M

Raised to Defend Clean Water A Safe Climate & Healthy Communities

235,000+

Calls & Letters to Government & Industry

15 Wins

Environmental Protection Wins Across Canada

370,000+

Canadians are Now a Part of Environmental Defence’s Community

Our Impact: 15 Wins

Clean Electricity Regulations finalized moving Canada closer to a net-zero electricity grid

The federal government released draft regulations for the Oil and Gas Emissions Cap, setting a strong international standard for curbing oil & gas pollution

The Government of Canada passed the Sustainable Jobs Act, to help workers and communities transition to a clean economy future.

City of Toronto formally asks for the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) to chart out a plan to shutter the Portlands Energy Centre gas plant

Federal government issued a habitat protection order for the endangered Redside Dace (mighty minnow threatened by Hwy 413).

Senate passed Bill C-226, the National Strategy Respecting Environmental Racism and Environmental Justice Act

Released the Mid-Rise Manual, a report which shows how we can build more housing people need inside existing urban neighbourhoods. The report influenced pro-housing decisions by Toronto and Hamilton City Councils

The City of Toronto adopted our plan to permit six-storey mid-rise apartment buildings on all major streets within existing residential neighbourhoods

We united Canada’s largest cities and key public transit stakeholders to sign the first Joint Declaration demanding a commitment from the government to accelerate the Permanent Public Transit Fund

The federal government added new anti-greenwashing rules to the Competition Act to crack down on greenwashing and climate misinformation.

Influenced government to require the CEOs of Canada’s Big Five Banks to testify before Parliament about their role in financing climate pollution

Canadian government commits to adding thousands of acres of land in Pickering (originally slated for airport) to Rouge National Urban Park.

Canada finalized regulations to reduce or eliminate toxic flame retardants in tents, play tunnels and children's bed canopies

Saved a provincially significant wetland along the shores of Lake Scugog by working with local community groups and the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation to pressure councillors to deny a developer’s MZO request.

Canada continued to fight for its right to declare plastic “toxic,” going head-to-head with the plastics industry at the federal court of appeals.

Our Program Highlights

Over the past year, Environmental Defence took action on some of the most pressing environmental issues facing Canada.

Thanks to your support, we successfully advocated for new federal anti-greenwashing rules to crack down on climate misinformation. We helped push the federal government to pass the landmark Sustainable Jobs Act, to ensure workers and communities will be given the tools they need to succeed in the clean economy. And after years of effort, we cheered when Canada finalized the rules to reduce or eliminate toxic flame retardants in tents, play tunnels and children's bed canopies.

Read more to see the highlights of our success over the past year.

Woman installing solar panels hearing a vest and helmet

Building A Clean Economy

Ending Climate Change in Canada

Solar Power Plant in modern city: Sustainable Renewable Energy

Ending Climate Change in Ontario

Ending Climate Change in Alberta

Toxics_Stock Photo_PFAS_Cleaning products 1

Kicking Out Toxic Chemicals

Ending Plastic Pollution

We continued to build and demonstrate public support for action on plastic pollution in anticipation of the federal appeals court decision on the plastics industry's effort to block action on plastic waste.
We engaged the public, municipal leaders, and producers in our fight to save the Ontario deposit return program for alcoholic beverage bottles and cans while expanding the program to include non-alcoholic drinks.
We supported local community groups to stop the expansion of the Brampton waste incinerator while advocating for better alternatives to waste incineration.
We collaborated with other environmental groups and businesses to expand reuse and refill systems that displace the use of single-use packaging, especially plastic packaging used in grocery stores.

Ontario Yours to Protect

Safeguarding Canada’s Freshwater

Sunset on Lake Erie near Sandusky, Ohio, USA

Our People

ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE is a team of passionate, creative, and talented people devoted to making positive change happen. Our staff and volunteer board work hard every day to protect Canada’s environment and human health. But we don’t do it alone. We also have an expert advisory committee that offers ideas, advice, and feedback to help us guide our programs.

Meet the Team

Get to know our dedicated staff.

Board

Meet our hardworking voluntary board and our expert advisors.

Expert Advisors

Meet our hardworking voluntary board and our expert advisors.

Financials

Our dedicated team works together with all their effort to deliver the outcomes we’ve shared in this report. The program, engagement and communications staff along with our finance, development, and administration teams come together and deliver the successes we have committed to our funders and supporters. For the full audited financial report, click here.

Thank You

A HUGE THANKS to all who signed petitions, attended our events, wrote and called the government and financially supported our programs.

Your generosity, enthusiasm, passion, and dedication makes everything we do possible. You inspire us to continue to build a cleaner future by fighting the climate crisis, stopping plastic pollution, eliminating toxic chemicals, saving our forests, farms and wetlands and protecting our freshwater.

Together, we accomplished a lot between April 1, 2004 and March 31, 2025 to bring us closer to a healthy and climate safe future. With your continued support, we know that we can accomplish even more in the year to come.

Join the Community

Join more than 250,000 Canadians who are working together to ensure a climate safe, toxic-free, healthy environment. Whether you sign an online petition, attend an event or workshop, register for email updates, or write a letter to a decision-maker, you make change happen.

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2025 Annual Report