Operation: Find Fossil Fuel Funders

How big banks buy goodwill and greenwash through sponsorships

Banks are everywhere in our communities. They fund all kinds of activities and programs – from arts festivals and sports teams to youth employment and mental health services. But there’s a tension between what banks say and what they do.  

Canada’s five biggest banks – RBC, TD, BMO, CIBC and Scotiabank – are all among the top financiers of oil and gas in the world. Together, they’ve invested over $1 trillion in oil and gas since Canada signed the Paris Agreement in 2016. 

Think about what could be done with that $1 trillion if the banks focused on a clean energy transition and climate resilience!

Learn more about banks and climate change

Parents are questioning if the institutions bankrolling heavy polluters should have such a strong presence in our communities. While the banks’ financial support is critical for countless community activities and programs we love and care about, we don’t want it to come at the cost of a bright, just future for our kids. 

Across our network, families have submitted examples of where they’ve seen bank sponsorship and advertising in their communities, and how they feel about it. Take a look at what we’ve found so far:

Want to add to our map?

Visit our action page

 

How parents really feel about bank sponsorship:

We know that it can be hard to ask questions about corporate influence, especially when our communities are so reliant on support from banks. But we think it’s a conversation worth having.

Here’s what some of our parents are saying about it:

On RBC Race for the Kids at Montreal Children’s Hospital: “As a health care worker, I feel sick when I see RBC trying to improve its image by funding a children's hospital. As the biggest fossil fuel funder in the world they are robbing our children of a future. If RBC cared about our kids, they would stop funding fossil fuels and start funding green energy.” —Montreal parent

On a TD-sponsored theatre in Calgary: “Great to see this sponsorship of the arts but I urge TD to stop funding fossil fuels as climate change impacts artists and the arts all around the world.” —Claire Kraatz, Calgary

On RBC Training Ground: “It seems like a great program, so it is disappointing to see RBC has been allowed to call it their 'own'. —Lorna Pelly, North Vancouver

On the Health Sciences Building at the University of Ottawa: “BMO did not only sponsor the new building but also co-funded a chair in Indigenous Health. To promote health by a bank heavily involved in fossil fuels is a scandal. Given the fact that BMO invests in pipelines through indigenous land this is outrageous.” —Ottawa Parent

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