The Canadian government has halted the operations of Sustainable Development Technologies Canada (SDTC), a foundation that funds green technology development, due to concerns about how it manages public funds. SDTC is currently working on a five-year agreement with the government to grant $1 billion to small and medium businesses in the clean tech sector. The decision to suspend new funding approvals came after whistleblowers raised issues about the foundation’s handling of federal funding and human resources. An external firm was hired to investigate the allegations and found that SDTC distributed $38 million in “relief payments” during the COVID-19 pandemic without proper requirements and monitoring. The report also highlighted concerns about conflicts of interest within SDTC and funding streams that did not align with its agreement with the government. Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne expressed his seriousness about the report’s findings and called on SDTC to implement a management response and action plan by the end of 2023. In response, SDTC stated that it is reviewing the report and taking steps to implement the recommendations promptly.
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