Environment committee  Yes, absolutely. I think the B.C. salmon restoration and innovation fund is a really good example of that. The recent open application period for a $250-million fund had more than a billion dollars in applications, and of those applications, more than 60% were for restoration projects.

Environment committee  I think one of the biggest things when there are funding opportunities is providing funding for relationship building in these sorts of situations. Relationship building takes time, and a lot of time. Funding sources do not allow for that sort of deep relationship building to happen, so when we're looking at collaboration, that is desperately needed.

Environment committee  We work to bring people together. That's what our position as a non-profit is. Through programs like the foodlands corridor restoration and the watershed CPR dashboard, we're working to bring together the people working on protection and restoration efforts. While we have programs that are directly implementing restoration, most of the actual on-the-ground work is happening through other collaborators.

Environment committee  As a non-profit working throughout such a large watershed, as you mentioned, we know that responsibility for fresh water is shared among many levels of government. I know there are more than 20 federal departments and agencies with responsibility for fresh water, which makes it very difficult to get to the bottom of an issue, especially for a small non-profit.

Environment committee  Absolutely. Thank you for the question. As mentioned, we're engaged with the BC Watershed Security Coalition, which is working to create a sustainable watershed security fund because healthy, resilient watersheds mean more clean drinking water, thriving fish populations and strong local economies.

Environment committee  Thank you, Miki. Rivershed actively participates in the BC Watershed Security Coalition in advocating a B.C. watershed security fund. The B.C.-First Nations Water Table announced the co-development of the B.C. watershed security strategy and fund in March 2023, with an initial investment of $100 million.