Tuesday, March 25, 2025
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.
To protect Canadian communities from the worst economic and environmental impacts of climate change, the Government of Canada is continuing 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.
With this in mind, Julie Dabrusin, Parliamentary Secretary to Jonathan Wilkinson, recently 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.
“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,” said Dabrusin. “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.”
Data indicate that 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.
“Climate change is placing new climate disaster pressures on our buildings,” said Robert Lepage, founding principal of the Climes Group Engineering Inc. “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.”
Featured image credit: Getty Images
