Canada Invests in Climate Change Adaptation to Keep Communities Safe in the Prairies and Across Canada

CALGARY, AB, Dec. 3, 2024 /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, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, along with Member of Parliament George Chahal, announced over $2.6 million in funding for seven projects in the Prairies under Natural Resources Canada's Climate Change Adaptation Program (CCAP). These projects aim to help small, rural and Indigenous communities in the Prairies and across Canada adapt to a changing climate by developing training, tools and resources. They will also advance collaboration and meaningful engagement with First Nations partners and support them with the planning and implementation of actions that will help them adapt to a changing climate.

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 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 seven projects based in the Prairies under the CCAP supports the vital long-term, community-based work to keep people safe now and into the future."

The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources

"Canadians feel the economic effects of climate change on supply chains and livelihoods, whether they live in the North and are experiencing rising temperatures and its consequences or whether they live the Prairies and are affected by severe weather events and increasingly costly natural disasters like the wildfires in Jasper and flooding. We are supporting projects that give the power to communities to drive their own adaptation to climate change with other levels of governments, businesses, organizations and communities with shared purpose and local strengths for a stronger, sustainable economic future."

The Honourable Dan Vandal
Minister of Northern Affairs, and Minister responsible for PrairiesCan and CanNor

"Climate change is having devastating effects on Canadians, threatening their communities, properties and local environments. Investments like those announced today enable proactive planning, actions and collaborations to help communities and sectors across Canada adapt and build resilience. This essential work empowers municipalities and partners to make informed decisions preparing for, responding to and adapting to the impacts of climate change."

George Chahal
Member of Parliament for Calgary Skyview

"As the Prairie provinces are one of the fastest-warming regions in Canada, the need to prepare for and adapt to our changing climate is ever more pressing. Thanks to the support from the Climate Change Adaptation Program, the Climate Ready Prairies project will share techniques on communication and engagement for a prairie-specific audience, to elevate the importance of understanding climate risks and vulnerabilities, be prepared and ultimately inspire decision-makers in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba to invest in resilience action."

Kerra Chomlak
Executive Director, ClimateWest

"People in small, rural, and Indigenous communities are on the front lines of climate impacts; their economies, cultures and identities are deeply entwined with local industries that are very vulnerable to climate-induced disasters—for example forestry, agriculture, fisheries and tourism. This initiative will help us develop critical knowledge toward holistic approaches to adaptation that are representative of diverse voices and values and reflect local realities. It is at the intersection of local and cultural knowledge, climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction where resilience to climate change will be strongest." 

Laura S. Lynes
President and CEO, The Resilience Institute

"Our team is honoured that NRCan awarded us this funding to collaborate with multiple forest sector representatives and develop strategies and initiatives to enable climate adaptation. With this substantial support, our research team will promote climate adaptation practices within the forestry sector by bridging industry partners and academics in central Canada. This initiative will generate significant advancements in tools, policies and training to aid practitioners and decision-makers in managing unprecedented environmental and social changes."

Ryan Bullock
Professor and Canada Research Chair in Human-Environment Interactions, The University of Winnipeg

"The 11 member First Nations of the File Hills Qu'Appelle Tribal Council are actively working on solution-driven climate adaptation actions, including policy development, capacity building and on-the-ground actions. This important project will allow us to continue working with our member nations' Leadership, Language Keepers, Land Users, the FHQTC Youth Advisory Council, the FHQTC Women's Council and our technicians to develop and adopt culturally relevant policies that protect our shared territories and livelihoods for all our member nations' citizens and future generations."

Brad Johnson
Executive Director of Finance and Administration, File Hills Qu'Appelle Tribal Council

Quick Facts

• 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.
• Every $1 spent on climate change adaptation measures saves up to $15 in terms of the long-term costs involved in mitigating climate change 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 Framework to Build a Green Prairie Economy, tabled in Parliament on December 18, 2023, is a long-term commitment to work differently through stronger coordination among federal departments and better collaboration with business and community partners on their priorities for a prosperous and sustainable Prairie economy that benefits everyone.

Related Product

• Backgrounder: Canada Invests in Climate Change Adaptation to Keep Communities Safe in the Prairies and Across Canada https://www.canada.ca/en/natural-resources-canada/news/2024/12/canada-invests-in-climate-change-adaptation-to-keep-communities-safe-in-the-prairies-and-across-canada.html
• 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
• The Framework to Build a Green Prairie Economy

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SOURCE Natural Resources Canada