It was simply a numbers game. Whichever project got the greatest number of votes across Canada, would get the money – $100,000 cash.
And it wasn’t even close.
With results in from the Shell Fueling Change Campaign, the Kanaka Creek Watershed Stewardship Centre walked away with the money after earning at least 500,000 votes, 38,000 more than the closest other projects – a caribou-rearing project in Revelstoke, and creation of wildlife habitat in Alberta by the Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation.
People were able to cast their votes when they bought gasoline at Shell.
The money will go to the Pacific Parklands Foundation, a fundraising group that took on the project on behalf of the Kanaka Education and Environmental Partnership Society.
The money will go into the kitty to complete Phase 2 of the KEEPS project, a stewardship centre at its hatchery on 256th Street, where classes can be held and adults and students can see firsthand how salmon stocks are raised.
Ross Davies, with KEEPS, said the money will be pooled with that which has already been raised from local and regional governments, bringing the kitty for construction of the centre to half a million dollars.
“It won’t get us there, but it sure gives us a shot in the arm,” said Davies.
“It was just a fantastic team effort from the Pacific Parklands Foundation, Metro Vancouver and our own board of KEEPS jumping on the bandwagon. Just a fantastic effort.”
The grant is from Shell’s social investment initiative called FuellingChange, a program that awards $2 million every year to Canadian environmental projects as chosen through online voting by Shell customers.
Other projects received $25,000 and $50,000. A total of 31 projects will receive funding in this year.
Davies said KEEPS is still awaiting a final cost and design for the second phase. However, there are no time pressures for the project unlike the construction of the hatchery, which had to be done in order to replace the old barn that had been condemned.
“We know what we’re doing. We’re not flying by the seat of our pants.”
Davies said Samuel Robertson Technical school could use the new centre for environmental classes and maybe it could be a satellite centre for UBC or BCIT.
“Just a lot of opportunities.”
“This was our third time participating in Shell FuellingChange,” said Denise Coutts, executive-director with Pacific Parklands.
And thanks to the amazing show of support and passion from the community, “the third time was the charm.”
Raising money for the stewardship centre is Parklands’ first capital raising project.