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Presenters: Dina Georgious (moderator), Lloyd Lee, Paul Shorthouse, Baia Ouldsliman and Raoul Cyr

In order to integrate climate change considerations into decision-making, stakeholders need reliable and consistent climate-related information. While the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosure (TCFD) recommendations were developed for the private sector, increasingly public sector stakeholders are recognizing the applicability of these recommendations for their own organizations.

As part of CPA Canada’s climate change initiative with Natural Resources Canada, guidance was developed to help cities implement the TCFD recommendations, including climate adaptation initiatives underway by cities across Canada and process frameworks for various decision-makers within organizations.

This interactive workshop will provide participants with a deeper understanding of the TCFD recommendations and how adopting the recommendations within their organizations can enhance internal decision-making and external reporting. Participants will hear about the experiences of two leading Canadian cities with implementing the TCFD recommendations and strategies for overcoming barriers. Live polling will be used to enable participants to input questions for the panel. 

Moderator: Jim Vanderwal

Presenters: Dr. Remi Charron, Dr. Lisa Westerhoff, Dan Sandink and Stacey Barter

While building resilience in the event of natural disasters and changing climate has improved over the past decades, a need remains to help develop housing stock that can adapt to — not just survive — ever-changing conditions.

To that end, BC Housing is spearheading a multi-year, multi-stakeholder initiative to develop and promote the adoption of best practices in adaptation and resilience. Mobilizing Building Adaptation and Resilience (MBAR) aims to stabilize communities in a natural disaster and help owners and occupants better protect their investments and adapt to climate change stresses and shocks, such that no one is stressed beyond their ability to cope. Using housing and mixed-use projects in BC as pilots, MBAR helps project principals incorporate best practices into the design process and understand the challenges and opportunities of doing so.

Moderator: Mike Simpson

Climate Change and Urban Greenspace: Forecasting Change, Planning for Adaptation, and Managing Disturbance Risk

Presenters: Amelia Needoba and Edward Nichol

Urban forests in and around cities are vulnerable to changing climate and extreme weather but they are also an important part of the climate change solution. This session will feature a presentation on how to plan for climate adaptation in urban forestry. Using Metro Vancouver’s award winning Urban Forest Climate Adaptation Initiative as the case study, speakers from Diamond Head Consulting and Metro Vancouver will cover the climate data analysis, adaptation actions and implementation steps for growing resilient urban forests that will help adapt communities to climate change. The speakers will also share how this type of work is being applied in other parts of Canada and how it is informing related climate adaptation planning work in the region.

How are natural forests in and around cities supporting climate change adaptation? A social-ecological analysis along an urban-rural gradient in Metro Vancouver, Canada

Presenter: Dr. Tahia Devisscher

Managing urban landscapes is one of the greatest challenges of this century. The state of urban ecosystems and the well-being of city dwellers will greatly depend on the way cities prepare for rapid change in the next decade. Urban forests have an important role to play in this regard, yet little has been done to measure the effects of urbanization on the multiple, essential ecosystem services these forests provide for urban resilience. This presentation will focus on research conducted along an urban-rural gradient in the City of Maple Ridge, Canada, which is facing very rapid densification and expansion into surrounding forests. Results provide insights into synergies and trade-offs between different actual and perceived ecosystem services and risks associated to urban forest fragments. This will generate practical recommendations into ways in which ecosystem services could be enhanced while maintaining features considered of high social value for climate adaptation and human well-being.

Moderators: Anne Blondlot and Jamie Hewitt

Presenters: Emily MacNair, Sarah Delisle and Kyla Milne

Climate change impacts will continue and intensify in the future, creating both opportunities and challenges for the Canadian agricultural sector. In order to achieve innovative and successful adaptation, it is crucial to increase awareness and to engage agricultural stakeholders while taking into account the realities and dynamics of agricultural operations.

During this session, moderated by AAFC and Ouranos, three speakers from British Columbia, Quebec and Nova Scotia, will present how they foster collaboration between a wide range of stakeholders (e.g., farmers, crop advisors, local, provincial and federal government, private sector) and build their adaptive capacity, and how this leads to concrete actions on adaptation. During a panel discussion that will follow the three presentations, the speakers as well as the audience will be invited to share experiences, insights and lessons learned about engaging various stakeholders in planning and implanting actions on adaptation.

Moderator: Steve Litke

Tsleil-Waututh Nation’s Community Climate Change Resiliency Planning – Vulnerability Assessment

Presenters: Robin Hawker and Sarah Dal Santo

Climate change will have profound impacts in BC indigenous communities and many key aspects of community life, including access to food and resources, community health and the ability to share cultural teachings. The Tsleil-Waututh Nation have embarked on a proactive, multi-year Community Climate Change Resilience Planning initiative to prepare the community for climate change. This presentation will share results from the first phase of this initiative, which involved a comprehensive hazard and vulnerability assessment to define priorities for adaptation. The project drew on a combination of traditional knowledge, cultural values and scientific methods to assess the Nation’s vulnerability to 13 climate change hazards. Findings show that many of the Nation’s top priorities for building climate change resilience involve strengthening local ecosystems and cultural practices in addition to protecting built infrastructure.

File Hills Qu’Appelle Tribal Council Climate Adaptation Strategy

Presenters: Chief Matthew Todd Peigan

FHQTC represents 11 First Nation communities and 17,000 citizens in the Treaty Four region of southern Saskatchewan. FHQTC’s mandate is to promote and protect Aboriginal, Inherent and Treaty Rights of all member First Nations while respecting the priorities of First Nations' culture.

In Treaty Four Territory, scientific data suggest that climate change brings shorter winters, water scarcity and drought. These changes threaten the water supply and ecosystems on which subsistence and traditional activities depend. FHQTC completed 12 engagement sessions within FHQTC Nations regarding climate change and adaptation priorities. Four themes emerged from these sessions: 1) impacts of land use and climate change on water quality and availability, 2) impacts of farming practices, 3) changes in the distribution and abundance of animals, and 4) economic opportunities stemming from renewable energy. Chief Matthew Todd Peigan, from Pasqua First Nation, will discuss these themes and present resilience and adaptation strategies to help overcome the challenges of climate change.

Ahead of the Curve: Leading the Way in Indigenous Community Resiliency

Presenters: Chief Patrick Michell and Aaron Coelho

Kanaka Bar membership and our local area residents have observed changes in precipitation patterns, air temperature and ecosystems and it’s becoming disconcerting. In order to prepare for further changes, in 2018 Kanaka Bar completed a climate change vulnerability assessment and adaptation strategy. This session will share the story of how one rural BC community is preparing for climate change through implementation of strategies to improve community resilience. This session will feature Chief Patrick Michell from the Kanaka Bar Indian Band and Aaron Coelho, Climate Change and Water Resources Specialist from Urban Systems Ltd. Together, Chief Patrick and Aaron will share Kanaka Bar’s approach to climate change preparedness including the value of combining traditional knowledge with science and empirical data, implementation of self-sufficiency initiatives and the importance of youth engagement. If Kanaka Bar can do it, you can too. Leave inspired to take action in your own community.

Moderator: Dr. Sabine Dietz

Presenters: Jamie Burke, Graham Watt and Chelsea Mottishaw

Small, rural communities (population less than 15,000) face opportunities as well as challenges when faced with climate change impacts. They are often less nimble and less daring, have overall less power in the policy and legislative arena, and face public pressure that can easily swing decisions.

This workshop, moderated by Aster Group Environmental Services Co-op, will explore the various themes and players that surround adaptation decision-making in small communities. With the help of representatives from small communities, the session examines how governance framework shapes how innovative communities can or cannot be; the role of leadership and how it advances or blocks adaptation; the role of education and communication about climate change and adaptation when it comes to local decision-making and who should do it; and how small communities often make decisions by taking the path of least resistance.

Moderator: Bonnie Hostrawser 

Presenters: Dr. Ian Mauro, Laura Cameron, Dr. Erin Fraser and Dr. Jade Savage

Climate change is a key driver of serious zoonotic, food-borne and water-borne infectious diseases. With continued warming across the country, the occurrence of infectious diseases will increase in Canada, potentially posing a risk to all Canadians. While data (e.g., risk assessments) on climate change as a driver for emerging and increased rates is readily available, gaps still exist related to the prevention, diagnosis, burden of illness, health education and awareness regarding the risks and adaptation solutions for climate-driven infectious diseases in Canada for people and the health sector. This session aims to build capacity, raise awareness, share tools and information, and broaden collaboration and engagement among delegates in preparing for and responding to climate-driven infectious diseases.

Nuna Tariuq Silalu Film Project

Presenters: Eriel Lugt and Darryl Tedjuk

Tuktoyaktuk, NWT, is a community on the Arctic coastline that is being impacted by climate change on a number of levels, through erosion, ice, weather and wildlife migration patterns, to name a few. Many adaptation initiatives related to climate change are taking place, such as the need to relocate homes due to an eroding shoreline. These projects are significant changes for a small community and it is important to document this point in history and show others how we are adapting to the changing circumstances.

This two-year project aims to engage the community and us, the youth of Tuktoyaktuk, in the climate change adaptation process by documenting perceptions and solutions from the community and sharing them across the region, the country and beyond, using digital media. This presentation will showcase the documentary "Happening to Us," produced by our group of youth during the film workshop in June 2019 and showcased at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP25) in Madrid, Spain last December 2019. There will be opportunity for questions after the movie.

Pangnirtung Youth Tackle Climate Change: On-the-land knowledge exchange, monitoring, and filmmaking promoting adaptation and well-being

Moderator: Sonja Dodig

Presenters: Maggie Lucy Kilabuk and Vincent L'Hérault

The coastal community of Pangnirtung, Nunavut has long witnessed and experienced the reality of climate change. Country food is the main resource for Panniqtuumiut all year round and practices related to hunting and fishing are key to family and community well-being. Local organizations and community members contribute to numerous academic studies and endeavours devoted to climate change. However, there is a disconnect between what is currently known, and what the younger generation know as youth don’t always have many opportunities to hear from these knowledgeable people about the scale and implications of these changes.

Through an on-the-land program for youth bringing together elders, knowledgeable hunters, scientists, and filmmakers, this project aims to learn from Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (Inuit holistic system of knowledge & beliefs) and scientific monitoring to better understand changes to the environment and wildlife related to climate change, and share the knowledge through short films and visual arts.