A year in review
CPAWS celebrated its 60th Anniversary in 2023, marking decades of tireless work on conservation across Canada by generations of staff. We took the opportunity to celebrate our achievements and of course, carried on with the critical work to ensure Canada’s commitments made to protect land, freshwater, and ocean from coast-to-coast-to-coast were turned into robust strategies set up for success. We also spent time strengthening our staff, operations, and processes to enhance our nationwide impact as Canada’s leading conservation charity. To know everything, check out our 2023-2024 Impact Report.
Here’s a glance at our most significant 2023 highlights!
Spring
In the spirit of reconciliation, CPAWS’s prestigious conservation award is relaunched to mark the organization’s 60th Anniversary.
CPAWS releases a progress report indicating how Canada’s governments are doing on their commitments to protect at least 30% of land, freshwater, and ocean by 2030.
CPAWS produces two video tributes to preserve the legacy of its deep involvement with COP 15 and IMPAC5, a celebratory nod to a momentous winter for nature around the world.
Resulting from sustained efforts by CPAWS to bring governments together to act on nature, CPAWS welcomes an announcement confirming support by federal, provincial and territorial governments to collectively contribute to meeting the goal of protecting at least 30% of land and ocean in Canada by 2030, with a focus on Indigenous-led conservation.
CPAWS is awarded a five-star charity rating by Charity Intelligence, demonstrating its strong fiscal management, operational transparency, and highly effective use of your donor dollars!
CPAWS Executive Directors gather in Canmore to leverage our cross-Canada capacity to build a strategy for how Canada can achieve the conservation targets of protecting 30% of land and ocean by 2030. CPAWS then presents these recommendations to staff at Environment & Climate Change Canada, and other officials.
In strong partnership with the BC Chapter, CPAWS National undertakes critical government relations, polling and media-work with the goal of addressing industry pushback against the BC Marine Protected Area network plan, and to help us inoculate other regions against similar opposition.
Summer
CPAWS supporters rally to send over 3,600 letters to demand action by decisionmakers on Canada’s commitment to protect at least 30% of land, freshwater and ocean by 2030, thanks to a collaborative campaign launched by CPAWS’s network of regional and national offices.
National staff begin the Home on Native Land course. Over the course of 10 weeks, we come together to build our collective foundational knowledge on the history and lived experiences of Indigenous Peoples in Canada. Moving forward, all new staff that join CPAWS will complete the course as part of the onboarding process.
The government announces legal protection for the Archibald Lake Wilderness Area, a successful conclusion to a core conservation campaign led by CPAWS-Nova Scotia.
Another big announcement for nature! A feasibility assessment for a new National Marine Conservation Area in the South Coast Fjords will be completed in Newfoundland. CPAWS bolsters the good news by publishing an op-ed.
CPAWS works closely with its chapters in New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador to develop strategies for positioning conservation with government / parties.
CPAWS launches a Google Grants campaign to increase our digital visibility, drive subscribers, increase online donations, and foster new corporate partnerships.
Fall
CPAWS’s Senior Strategic Advisor, Alison Woodley, is invited to serve as one of two environmental NGO representatives on Canada’s National Steering Committee for the Pathway to 2030.
Over 2,200 letters sent by supporters urge Canada to draft a strong, effective plan for nature, as part of a nation-wide joint campaign launched by CPAWS and its chapters. Concurrently, CPAWS engages with the federal government’s consultations for theNational Biodiversity Strategy and submits a briefing document to help inform the Strategy’s development. To complement its organizational efforts and showcase leadership across the conservation sector, CPAWS convenes 20 conservation organizations from across Canada to develop and submit collective recommendations on the National Biodiversity Strategy.
CPAWS celebrates its 60th Anniversary! Partners, funders, major donors, decisionmakers, and staff past and present come together to fete CPAWS’s history of conservation achievements across the country. We present the rebranded Conservation Award to Thomas R. Berger.
CPAWS’s National Executive Director, Sandra Schwartz, testifies to the Senate Committee reviewing Bill S-14. Bill S-14 provides legislative protections and clarity, enabling the establishment, expansion and effective management of national parks, national urban parks and National Marine Conservation Areas. The Bill will also establish, in law, two remarkable new protected areas, in partnership with Indigenous communities and formalize eight national park extensions.
CPAWS publishes Protected Areas as a Nature-based Climate Solution, a research paper and tool designed for decision makers authored by Dr. Risa B. Smith that demonstrates how protected areas on land and on water can help us adapt to climate change impacts.
The First Nations Leadership Council, and governments of BC and Canada sign a historic tri-partite Nature Agreement in November, setting a precedence for other provinces. The agreement comes with $1 billion in joint federal-provincial funding including $50 million from Ottawa to permanently protect 1.3 million hectares of “high priority” old-growth forests in B.C. The agreement also includes commitments to support Indigenous-led conservation initiatives, conserve enough old forest habitat to support the recovery of 250 spotted owls and restore 140,000 hectares of degraded habitat within the next two years.
Long-time CPAWS partner, MEC, fundraises over $15,000 for CPAWS through their annual Sock Week campaign!
With deep gratitude to major donors John Grandy and Meg Salter who provided a matching gift of $25,000, CPAWS raises over $75,000 on Giving Tuesday!
Winter
CPAWS congratulates the Seal River Alliance, and the governments of Manitoba and Canada on securing interim protection for the Seal River Watershed, a key step towards permanently conserving the watershed as an Indigenous Protected Area. This is a momentous milestone in a long-term project that our Manitoba chapter has been supporting for many years.
CPAWS lauds the Omushkego, Muskegowuk Council, and Parks Canada on the successful completion of a feasibility study and major step towards permanent protection for western James Bay and southwestern Hudson Bay. This is a significant moment for Wildlands League who have been working as close partners on the project for many years.
CPAWS releases new hiring guidelines, with the goal of attracting more diverse talent, creating a more accessible, inclusive hiring process, and an equitable working environment.
To better understand community sentiments around Marine Protected Areas, the ocean team and supporting staff start their Cross-Canada Coastal Conversations trek across Canada in British Columbia.
CPAWS, longtime member of the Green Budget coalition, meets Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland to discuss crucial recommendations on funding needed to support Canada’s commitments to nature. CPAWS was pleased to see some of our key priorities reflected in budget 2024.
Citizen Watch partners with CPAWS and donates over $5,000.
To strengthen our foundational mission and vision, and chart the course for future conservation work, the CPAWS leadership team begins a comprehensive Theory of Change exercise.
CPAWS enters into new partnership with the Ocean Ball foundation – an event that sees Toronto’s leading entrepreneurs and thought leaders come together to raise funds for marine protection. CPAWS will be the 2024 beneficiary of the proceeds from the Ocean Ball event.
CPAWS is proud of all that we accomplished for nature over the past year, made possible by the steadfast generosity of you, our donors. And we’re not slowing down now. Our latest projects continue to be ambitious and bold, including securing long-term government funding to future-proof conservation projects, the launch of a national campaign informed by our cross-Canada research, the publication of a nationwide progress report and policy paper on Protected Areas as a Nature-based Climate Solution, and the revitalization of our organization’s mission and strategic vision for nature upon the completion of our Theory of Change process. Thank you for your continued support – we celebrate these victories for nature alongside you.