In 2015, Ontario Nature supporter Dianne Fahselt made a gift of 16.5 hectares of upland forest in Grey County through Canada’s Ecological Gifts Program.
The land had been logged extensively when she acquired the property in 1980. Today, floral surveys reveal 253 plant species, including 2 horsetails, 3 club mosses, 19 ferns, 27 trees, 172 herbs and 8 woody vines. Forest on the property was analyzed by Paul Maycock using the Point-Quarter Method of vegetational analysis, and re-survey in future using the same method will demonstrate and quantify changes taken place in the interim.
“I highly recommend the Ecological Gifts Program to anyone serious about preserving valuable natural areas and at the same time wishing to benefit from tax relief. When a property is deemed to be ecologically significant and certified as such, a tax credit may be provided to the donor. Even after the property is gifted to a qualified recipient (usually a land trust such as Ontario Nature), a donor may be able to continue to visit the land. The beauty of this arrangement is that experienced staff check the property annually to monitor it and ensure that it retains its ecological integrity; this stewardship continues in perpetuity. The Ecological Gifts Program provides an opportunity to decide for yourself how a portion of your annual tax obligations can be met.”
The Ecological Gifts Program is made possible by the Income Tax Act of Canada. It is unique in the world. The program allows landowners to donate land deemed to be ecologically significant, or a partial interest in such land, such as a conservation easement, to an eligible recipient.
Recipients (such as Ontario Nature) are responsible for the conservation of the donated land’s biodiversity and environmental heritage.
Since 1995, almost 2,000 ecological gifts valued at $1.3 billion have been made by individuals and corporations, protecting more than 250,000 hectares of wildlife habitat. Over the years, Ontario Nature has received ten ecological gifts.
There are different options available in making an ecological gift:
Full title (fee simple).
Partial interest (the donor retains ownership and establishes a conservation easement).
Residual interest (e.g.: keeping a life estate or right of use).
Partial donation (also known as split-receipting).
Advantages of Ecological Gifts
No tax on capital gains.
No limit on the total value eligible for deduction/credit in any one year.
Any unclaimed amount may be carried forward for up to 10 years.
Corporate donors may deduct the eligible amount of their gift directly from their taxable income, while the eligible amount of a gift made by an individual (or an individual’s spouse or common-law partner) is converted to a non-refundable tax credit.
Peace of Mind
If you know someone who owns land that features natural habitat such as a forest, wetland or shoreline, consider telling them about the Ecological Gifts Program.
Born in Ontario but based for many years on the Pacific coast, Natasha van Bentum is currently on assignment as Outreach Advisor for the Ecological Gifts Program. In her capacity as a legacy and capacity-building advisor for the eNGO sector, Natasha has been instrumental in promoting the creation of green legacy programs both in Canada and worldwide. This has resulted in millions of dollars being put to work to address the vital issues of our times and help create a greener and healthier future for future generations. She can be contacted at vanbentum@gmail.com.
One Reply to “Canada’s Ecological Gifts Program – Celebrating 30 Years of Conservation”
I consider folks who donate natural lands to conservation organizations, so that these lands can be preserved forever, to be true environmental heroes. Whatever our planet’s highest honour is, they deserve it.
We know the only way to save wild species is by first saving their habitat. And the only way to save habitat is by getting as much of it as possible out of the development stream. Permanently. An important program like the one Natasha van Bentum has written about here is a great option for achieving this.
Thank you for bringing the Ecological Gifts Program to everyone’s attention, Natasha. And thank you as well — thank you most of all — to Dianne Fahselt and other donors like her for being so generous and forward-looking when it comes to protecting the natural world.
I consider folks who donate natural lands to conservation organizations, so that these lands can be preserved forever, to be true environmental heroes. Whatever our planet’s highest honour is, they deserve it.
We know the only way to save wild species is by first saving their habitat. And the only way to save habitat is by getting as much of it as possible out of the development stream. Permanently. An important program like the one Natasha van Bentum has written about here is a great option for achieving this.
Thank you for bringing the Ecological Gifts Program to everyone’s attention, Natasha. And thank you as well — thank you most of all — to Dianne Fahselt and other donors like her for being so generous and forward-looking when it comes to protecting the natural world.