May 17, 2010

ON-E 5032-28 UNC

CIDM #349668

To: Ontario First Nations, Tribal Councils, and Political Treaty Organizations

Subject: Lands Environmental Action Fund (LEAF) Aboriginal Environmental Stewardship 2010/2011 - Call for proposals

The purpose of this letter is to provide First Nations governments, organizations, and communities the opportunity to access funding through the 2010/2011 Lands Environmental Action Fund (LEAF). This funding is available for First Nations to undertake a variety of initiatives related to environmental stewardship and capacity development.

Funding can be used to support the following activities:

·  Projects designed to support participation in First Nations environmental training;

·  Projects designed to develop regional mechanisms to increase capacity in environmental stewardship in First Nations communities;

·  Projects designed to enhance the awareness and capacity of First Nations in support of environmental and community knowledge issues;

·  Projects designed to upgrade the environmental knowledge and skills of First Nations, public service staff providing services to their communities; and

·  Projects designed to support First Nations to participate in the preparatory stages of environmental assessment processes for activities off-reserve which could potentially directly affect their lands.

Prospective applicants should review the attached LEAF Aboriginal Environmental Stewardship 2010/2011 Funding Guidelines for further information on eligibility criteria. Please note that funding for Ontario Region LEAF program is set at $174,935.00. We will endeavour to allocate this funding in a manner that supports First Nations throughout the Region. Proposals for projects with high costs may be considered for partial funding. Due to the size of the budget, priority will be given to projects that are designed to benefit more than one First Nation.

While all projects that meet the Proposal Evaluation Criteria will be considered, for the 2010/2011 fiscal year INAC Ontario Region will be targeting the following types of projects:

1)  Projects promoting best practices in fuel storage tank management; and

2)  Projects that promote awareness and compliance with the Canadian Environmental Protection Act’s new Storage Tank Systems for Petroleum Products and Allied Petroleum Products Regulations.

Please review the attached LEAF Aboriginal Environmental Stewardship 2010/2011 Proposal Evaluation criteria for information on how proposals will be assessed.

Proposals are due by July 16, 2010. Proposals must include the attached LEAF application form, and it is recommended that they be submitted electronically (rather than in paper format). An electronic version of the application form in MS Word format can be obtained by contacting Cheyenne Loon at the email address provided below.

Proposals should be addressed to:

Cheyenne Loon
Sr. Environmental Advisor
Environment Unit
INAC – Ontario Region
25 St. Clair Avenue East, 8th Floor
Toronto, ON M4T 1M2

Please do not hesitate to contact Cheyenne Loon for further information on the LEAF program. We look forward to working with Ontario First Nations on this important initiative.

Sincerely,

Glenn Gilbert

Regional Manager

Environment Unit

INAC – Ontario Region

25 St. Clair Avenue East, 8th Floor

Toronto, ON M4T 1M2

Attachments: LEAF Aboriginal Environmental Stewardship 2010/2011 Funding Guidelines & Application form

LEAF Aboriginal Environmental Stewardship 2010/2011 Proposal Evaluation form

cc. Susan Troniak, a/Manager, Funding Services North – INAC

Ken Atkins, a/Manager, Funding Services North Central – INAC

Kerry Latham, a/Manager, Funding Services Operations South – INAC

Cheyenne Loon, Sr. Environmental Advisor – INAC