Canada Invests in Climate Change Adaptation to Keep Communities Safe in Southern Ontario and Across Canada

TORONTO, Jan. 23, 2025 /CNW/ - Across the country, the impacts of climate change are becoming more severe and more frequent with extreme events like floods, wildfires and heatwaves on the rise. Gradual changes, like thawing permafrost in the north and rising sea levels in coastal regions, are also affecting the safety of our communities and quality of life. Acting now will help improve long-term resilience and reduce costs associated with the increasing frequency of extreme weather events in Canada, including higher grocery prices, insurance premiums and local taxes to cover the costs of disaster recovery and damage.

To protect our communities from the worst economic and environmental impacts of climate change, we must continue to prepare for the changes that are coming by investing in community resilience. This will not only support the safety of Canadians but also reinforce the ability of communities to recover from extreme weather events.

Today, Julie Dabrusin, Parliamentary Secretary to the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, along with Member of Parliament Bardish Chagger, announced over $4.5 million in funding for nine projects in southern Ontario or with a national reach under Natural Resources Canada's Climate Change Adaptation Program (CCAP). These projects aim to enhance knowledge and skills among professionals, businesses and communities in southern Ontario and across Canada to adapt to a changing climate, through the development and delivery of tools, resources and training.

The funding announced today comes from a total investment of $39.5 million, announced on November 14, 2024, through the CCAP and the Climate-Resilient Coastal Communities (CRCC) Program to reduce climate change risks and build more resilient communities across the country in support of the National Adaptation Strategy (NAS). 

The steps we take now will protect our communities, our livelihoods, our environment and our economy. We are actively investing in climate change adaptation to proactively support community-led resilience and adaptation projects. It is essential, now more than ever, that we come together to help communities stay strong in the face of current and future change.

Quotes

"The impacts associated with climate change — including intense wildfires, devastating floods, stronger tropical storms and hurricanes, and permafrost thaw in the north — are being felt environmentally and economically in every single region of Canada. That is why this federal government is acting now to help our communities and our economy prepare for and protect against the threat of climate change. Today's announcement of nine projects based in southern Ontario supports vital, community-based work to keep people safe now and into the future."

The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson 
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources

"We are very pleased to announce funding for these nine projects that will support communities and sectors to develop and implement actions to better adapt to a changing climate. Keeping Canadians safe is a priority, and investments like those announced today go a long way to help mitigate the impacts associated with climate change that are devastating livelihoods, environments and the economy."

Julie Dabrusin
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources and Member of Parliament for Toronto–Danforth

"Climate change is impacting Canadians in disastrous ways, affecting their communities, properties and surrounding environments. Investments like those announced today support proactive planning, actions and collaborations that aim to help communities and sectors across Canada adapt and build resiliency. This vital work further supports municipalities and partners in making informed decisions to prepare for and to respond and adapt to climate change impacts."

Bardish Chagger
Member of Parliament for Waterloo

"The Corporate Climate Adaptation and Community Impact Project underscores the importance of ensuring that climate adaptation efforts are both inclusive and effective. With support from NRCan's Climate Change Adaptation Program, this initiative leverages an intersectional approach to address social inequities intensified by climate change. Together, we aim to help businesses build resilience while positively impacting the communities most affected by these challenges."

Elizabeth Dove
Executive Director, UN Global Compact Network Canada

"It is clear that the impacts of climate change are unfolding all around us and affecting the lives and livelihoods of Canadians. This funding enables us to strengthen the training offered in professional degree programs, equipping engineers, accountants, planners and architects with the crucial competencies they need to make our communities and economy more resilient."

Sarah Burch
Executive Director of the Waterloo Climate Institute, Professor in the Faculty of Environment, and Canada Research Chair in Sustainability Governance and Innovation at the University of Waterloo

"As we continue to observe the impacts of climate change on communities in Canada and across the globe, it has become clear that the way we think about business strategy, investment and partnerships must evolve to truly create resilient economies and societies. Our project seeks to better understand supply systems, map shared risks between businesses and communities, and generate evidence to design multi-actor climate adaptation strategies for long-term sustainability."

Jose Di Bella
Manager of research and partnerships at the Waterloo Climate Institute, and Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Environment at the University of Waterloo

"Building resiliency and protecting communities and infrastructure from inherently unpredictable climate shocks are a priority for water utilities. With support from Natural Resources Canada, we are supporting water leaders in developing adaptive planning pathways to be ready for a range of future risks."

Nicola Crawhall
CEO, Canadian Water Network

"We are grateful to Natural Resources Canada for their support of our landADAPT program, which empowers Canadian landscape architects with the tools and knowledge needed to address the pressing challenges of climate change. This investment recognizes the vital role of landscape architects in designing resilient, adaptive communities and advancing Canada's climate goals."

Michelle Legault
Executive Director, Canadian Society of Landscape Architects

"We are thrilled to partner with the Government of Canada on multi-year work to accelerate local, cross-sector, community-wide climate change adaptation action in 30 communities and to support many more with tools and stories created through these communities' learnings. The impacts of climate change are not felt equally. The Adaptive and Resilient Communities Cohort will equip communities with the skills and tools to advance equitable adaptation efforts."

Danya Pastuszek
President and CEO, Tamarack Institute

"Climate change is placing new climate disaster pressures on our buildings. Climate risk assessments help identify vulnerabilities and solutions but are too expensive for most homeowners. We created the Climate Hazard And Response Tool (CHART) to be an accessible and affordable way for homeowners to prioritize action and improve the climate resilience of their homes."

Robert Lepage
Founding Principal, Climes Group Engineering Inc.

"EPRI's Climate READi™ team is collaborating with several Canadian electric companies to strengthen the energy sector's approach to managing climate risk to the electric power system. We will tailor our framework to prioritize adaptation investments in the power sector to help Canadians address their unique climate hazards and build a more safe and resilient energy future. This consistent, collaborative and comprehensive framework can be used to plan holistically across the entire power system."

Anna Lafoyiannis
Project Lead for Climate READi, EPRI International Inc.

"With our current knowledge of the potential impacts of climate change on critical infrastructure including hydropower systems and transportation lines, the need to integrate climate data and knowledge in electricity system planning and design cannot be overstated. However, this is highly complex scientific process where dynamic collaboration between academia, utilities and government is required to make it happen."

Dr. Paulin Coulibaly
Professor, Professional Engineer and Principal Investigator, McMaster University

Quick Facts

• Every $1 spent on climate change adaptation measures saves up to $15 in terms of the long-term costs involved in mitigating climate change impacts and extreme weather events.
• Since 2015, the Government of Canada has invested more than $6.5 billion in adaptation efforts, including $2.1 billion since fall 2022 to implement the NAS and other adaptation-related activities.
• The CCAP will help Canada's regions and sectors to adapt to a changing climate. More specifically, the CCAP aims to:
  • support decision-makers in identifying and implementing adaptation actions;
  • enhance adaptation knowledge and skills among Canada's workforce; and
  • increase access to climate change adaptation tools and resources.
• The CRCC Program supports regional-scale pilot projects on Canada's three marine coasts —Atlantic, Pacific and North — and in the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence region. The program aims to enhance the climate resilience of coastal communities and businesses and to accelerate adaptation to reduce climate change risks and coordinate innovative actions.
• The NAS provides a whole-of-society plan focused on protecting Canadian lives and building more resilient and prosperous communities. Canada released its first NAS on June 27, 2023. Achieving the objectives of the NAS requires whole-of-society action. The Government of Canada is working with provinces, territories, Indigenous partners and the private sector to develop innovative technical, financial and operational solutions that will support adaptation action by communities across the economy.

Related Products

• Backgrounder: Canada Invests in Climate Change Adaptation to Keep Communities Safe in Southern Ontario and Across Canada  
• Canada Invests in Climate Change Adaptation Around Ontario's Great Lakes
• Canada Invests in Climate Change Adaptation to Keep Communities Safe in Atlantic Canada   
• Canada Invests in Climate Change Adaptation to Keep Communities Safe in the Prairies and Across Canada 
• Canada Invests in Climate Change Adaptation to Keep Communities Safe in British Columbia and Across Canada

Associated Links

• Climate Change Adaptation Program
• Natural Resources Canada Announces up to $15 Million to Help Communities and Businesses Adapt to a Changing Climate
• Climate-Resilient Coastal Communities Program  
• National Adaptation Strategy
• Government of Canada Adaptation Action Plan

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SOURCE Natural Resources Canada

Contacts: Natural Resources Canada, Media Relations, 343-292-6096, [email protected]; Joanna Sivasankaran, Director of Communications, Office of the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, [email protected]