Canada Invests in Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience for Water Systems in Southern Ontario

TORONTO, Feb. 22, 2019 /CNW/ - Canada's climate plan is working for our planet, and it's working for Canadians. Governments in Canada are putting in place measures to cut pollution causing climate change, while creating good jobs and growing the economy. As part of this plan, we are investing in research that will help Canada adapt and become resilient to climate change.

Gagan Sikand, Member of Parliament for Mississauga–Streetsville, on behalf of the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Canada's Minister of Natural Resources, today announced more than $1.3 million to support six climate change projects in Southern Ontario.

Funded through the Climate Change Adaptation Program, the projects will focus on water management and infrastructure. Research findings will help communities and decision makers better adapt to climate change and mitigate its impacts. These include projects by:

• the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation, which seeks to understand the role agricultural adaptation practices can play in reducing the impacts of water shortages on other sectors;
• the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority, which will help municipalities cost-effectively use natural infrastructure in stormwater management;
• the Credit Valley Conservation Authority, which will expand training on Low Impact Development, and the use of nature based infrastructure in stormwater systems;
• W.F. Baird & Associates Coastal Engineers Ltd., which will assess infrastructure interdependencies related to flooding in the City of Burlington; and
• Zuzek Inc., which will develop climate change information on future ice conditions and storm extremes for use in coastal infrastructure development, policies, programs and practices on the Great Lakes.

Today's announcement is part of our government's plan to cut pollution, grow the economy and build healthier communities for all Canadians.

Quotes

"All Canadians depend on reliable access to clean water, storm water maintenance, wastewater treatment and a safe transportation network. That's why our government is taking action—to ensure we mitigate the risks of climate change and provide safe and affordable access to water."

Gagan Sikand
Member of Parliament for Mississauga–Streetsville

Related Information

• Backgrounder: Canada Invests in Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience for Water Systems in Southern Ontario
• Climate Change: Impacts and Adaptation
• Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change
• Simply Science: Climate Change

BACKGROUNDER:
CANADA INVESTS IN CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION AND RESILIENCE
FOR WATER SYSTEMS IN SOUTHERN ONTARIO

On February 22, 2019, Gagan Sikand, Member of Parliament for Mississauga–Streetsville, on behalf of the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Natural Resources, announced more than $1.3 million to support six climate change projects in Southern Ontario focused on water management and infrastructure, through Natural Resources Canada's Climate Change Adaptation Program.

• $110,625 to Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation
• Project title: Agricultural Water Management and Climate Adaptation in Ontario's Greenbelt.
• This project will examine the regional water use dynamics in Ontario's Greenbelt to better understand water use trade-offs during periods of water shortages. Specifically, it seeks to understand the role agricultural adaptation practices can play in reducing the impacts of water shortages on other sectors.
• The project will :
• evaluate the costs and benefits of adaptation options related to water management on agricultural lands within Ontario's Greenbelt (of the Greater Golden Horseshoe Area); and
• determine whether agricultural adaptation can reduce the costs of long-term water servicing infrastructure to meet the needs of the growing population.
• $184,840 to the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority
• Project title: Equitable Responsibility for Transformative Design: Triple Bottom Line Cost-Benefit Analysis of an Integrated Approach to Optimization of Stormwater Infrastructure.
• This project will complete basin-scale, integrated stormwater management infrastructure optimization modelling – by applying triple-bottom line analyses to determine the scope and methodology for municipalities to cost-effectively optimize stormwater management infrastructure – and achieve and sustain hydrological integrity via whole-system design.
• Stormwater management infrastructure includes green infrastructure, low impact development, environmental performance units and grey infrastructure.
• $524,135 to the Credit Valley Conservation Authority for two projects
• $314,050 for Beating the Infrastructure Cost Crunch: Guidance on Incorporating Nature-Based Solutions in Stormwater Infrastructure Systems using Cost Optimization Analysis.
• The objective of the project is to enhance existing stormwater infrastructure systems in order to provide resilient and cost effective stormwater services that help reduce the impacts of climate change.
• End users will be provided with resources such as guidance documents and engineering specifications to ensure proper implementation and cost effectiveness of nature-based solutions in stormwater management.
• $183,085 for Enhancement and Accelerated Delivery of the Sustainable Technologies Evaluation Program Low Impact Development Training Program
• Low Impact Development is an approach to land use that can help communities adapt to climate change by managing stormwater close to where it falls while also providing water quality and quantity improvements, greenhouse gas reductions, tree canopy enhancements, and urban heat island mitigation.
• This initiative will expand the existing training program to a greater number of industry professionals, and develop enhanced tools that can be stand-alone or complementary to the existing training program. These enhanced tools will be available online and on demand, increasing their potential to reach a broader audience across a broader geographical area.
• $101,650 to W.F. Baird & Associates Coastal Engineers Ltd.
• Project title: Assessment of Infrastructure Interdependencies in the City of Burlington.
• The objective of this project is to analyze how the design of Burlington's hydraulic infrastructure (culverts, bridges, etc.) affects not only flood extent but also the vulnerability of critical infrastructure such as hospitals, utilities and government buildings.
• This project will:
• assess the interdependencies between the design of hydraulic infrastructure and the vulnerability of critical infrastructure (hospitals, nursing homes, etc.) to flooding; and
• assess the interdependencies between transportation infrastructure and emergency management systems in the context of flood events.
• $449,300 to Zuzek Inc.
• Project title: Adapting to the Future Storm and Ice Regime in the Great Lakes.
• This project will develop climate change information on future ice conditions and storm extremes, including wave heights and storm surge, for the coastal zone of the Great Lakes region.
• In order to "mainstream" this information into coastal zone management, four collaborative case studies will create appropriate adaptation strategies using the project's results.
• The goal of this project is to allow coastal managers to understand future risks and integrate climate change information into infrastructure development, policies, programs and practices.

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SOURCE Natural Resources Canada

Natural Resources Canada, Media Relations, 343-292-6100, [email protected]; Vanessa Adams, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Natural Resources, 343-543-7645, [email protected]

Related Links

www.nrcan.gc.ca