Environmentalists have mixed reactions to Quebec-Ottawa caribou funding deal

By Morgan Lowrie Environmentalists are divided on whether a new funding deal reached between Quebec and the federal government is a meaningful first step to saving the province’s dwindling caribou herds or a “smokescreen” that does little to protect the threatened species. The agreement announced Tuesday will see Ottawa send Quebec $25 million over five years to spend on caribou conservation initiatives, as well as another $15 million to Indigenous communities who are implementing their own programs. The deal signals an end to the years-long federal-provincial battle over caribou that began in…