Canadian Charity Strengthens Resilience of Small, Rural, and Indigenous Communities

CALGARY, AB, Jan. 31, 2025 /CNW/ - According to the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), "last summer [2024] was the most expensive on record in Canada for catastrophic weather events, with 228,000 insurance claims and over $8 billion in insured damage. These events are placing pressure on insurance premiums in Alberta and across the country and are important reminders of the need to increase investments in resilience and other measures to better protect communities." As the impacts of a rapidly warming world intensify, the importance of preparing for climate-charged disasters has never been more critical. The Resilience Institute (TRI) is a national charity that works locally and globally with diverse partners to minimize suffering caused by climate impacts.  

Original Artwork by Avery Bowe, The Resilience Institute: Ravens are known for their resourcefulness, creativity, and strong social bonds, all qualities that mirror the essence of resilience. They work together, learn from their surroundings, and adapt to ever-changing conditions. In many cultures, ravens are often seen as messengers or guardians, embodying transformation and the ability to navigate life’s complexities. (CNW Group/The Resilience Institute)

Rising global temperatures, prolonged droughts, and shifting weather patterns are creating conditions where wildfires are not only becoming more frequent but also more intense and unpredictable. In many regions, fire seasons are lengthening, and the window for preparing communities is shrinking, and in North America, fire season is just around the corner. The Resilience Institute partners with communities and organizations to strengthen resilience to disasters such as wildfires. Bringing community members together to explore what resilience means in thematic programming like Fire & Ice in the Region of Wood Buffalo, The Resilience Institute is helping people build a shared vision for the future and lay the groundwork for practical, collective action in the face of disasters. 

Having experienced firsthand the Fort McMurray fire in 2016 and the flood in 2020, Therese Greenwood, Board Chair of The Resilience Institute says, "The learning is reactive, based on past experience focusing on emergency response. It is already our past. As the list of evacuated cities grows – it is our present. It is also our terrifying future. Things will be worse for the next generations unless there is a radical rethinking."  

A key component in communities building their resilience is to move faster from planning to action on climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction. Rather than a one-off plan and leaving communities on their own to develop implementation strategies, The Resilience Institute addresses the critical gap in the delay between planning and action by walking alongside communities, facilitating Indigenous and locally led solutions. Much of this work has been made possible thanks to a longstanding relationship with the Suncor Energy Foundation and their commitment to operations support, enabling The Resilience Institute to focus on community-driven programming. This also allows for partnering in meaningful ways to advance reconciliation as allies supporting Indigenous communities. For example, TRI has embarked on resilience journeys in the Kainai First Nation, Piikani Nation in Treaty 7, and Fort McKay First Nation in Treaty 8 (see the success story here), as well as close partnerships throughout the province with the Métis Nation of Alberta, Jasper, Hinton, and Pincher Creek.   

Suncor Energy Foundation announced in their Spring Update that they have pledged a total donation of $900,000 to The Resilience Institute, to support strengthening community-relevant climate resilience. With this operational support, The Resilience Institute has been able to develop a new program in partnership with the Canadian Red Cross called Roots for Resilience that will enable them to strengthen the resilience of communities across Alberta and beyond. Additionally, an exciting new initiative planned for 2025 will unite Indigenous youth from across northern Alberta to explore renewal and resilience following wildfires in their communities.  

By focusing on the unique needs of each community, The Resilience Institute fosters resilience and creates adaptative strategies that directly address local climate impacts.  
To learn more about The Resilience Institute and the work they do, visit: https://resilienceinstitute.ca/. 

SOURCE The Resilience Institute

Media Contact: Meaghan Nikolic, Communications Specialist, The Resilience Institute, [email protected]