OTTAWA—In a significant move to fortify Canadian communities against the evolving impacts of climate change, the Ministry of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Industry, the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) have jointly unveiled a federal investment of $59.6 million over the next five years.
The funding aims to enhance and expedite research initiatives essential for equipping communities with the knowledge and guidance necessary to navigate the challenges posed by climate change. Chantal Guay, CEO of the Standards Council of Canada, emphasized the importance of designing communities to standards that address climate change, asserting that adherence to such standards enables decision-makers and professionals to plan better, construct and maintain climate-resilient, nature-positive and sustainable cities.
“One thing they are going to be doing with this new funding is researching building codes, which is significant,” said Al Douglas, president of Climate Risk Institute. “The money from the feds will invest in research science to make sure the codes and standards will keep up with the change in extreme weather events.”
“In the past the building codes have been around assumptions that climate is static,” he continued. “The building codes reflect that, the basis for snow loading, electrical engineering are all currently built around this concept of a static climate.”
“The extent to which it changes, and long-term changes and recognition of extreme weather require higher tolerances to create updates,” Mr. Douglas added. “There is an awful lot that has to go into it, and you have to have a solid basis and it is long and arduous.”
“Imagine, we know there is a push on the amount of housing we have across the country, it’s really important that things be designed for 50-70 years,” Mr. Douglas said. “The climate that far down the road from now will be very, very different. And underpinning that is the necessity to reflect that climate. It would be bad investment to build infrastructure that isn’t resilient to future extreme weather events, it will not reflect its value over its lifespan.”
He said that applies to all classes of assets, roads and bridges, building, transportation infrastructure, runways, public buildings, even telecommunications has to be built recognizing the future of climate and accounting for that is very important. “If you continue to make investments without taking more action, then we are leaving it for next generations, which is unfair because we have significant scientific knowledge right now.”
The federal investment builds upon the ongoing efforts supported by Infrastructure Canada, explicitly contributing to the NRC-led Climate Resilient Built Environment (CRBE) initiative and the SCC-led Standards to Support Resilience in Infrastructure Program (SSRIP).
The CRBE initiative focuses on adapting public infrastructure, influencing potential changes to building and infrastructure codes and standards, and creating guides, tools and technical solutions to bolster resilience against climate change. It will continue supporting resilience across the construction sector, spanning design, decision-making, construction, operation, maintenance and retrofit processes.
Simultaneously, the SSRIP initiative delivers standards and related guidance addressing priority areas such as heat, flooding, nature-based solutions and transportation system resilience. Collaborating with communities and beneficiaries, the program aims to ensure that projects adopt a consistent approach to climate change adaptation, thereby enhancing resilience and facilitating informed decision-making for infrastructure and buildings nationwide.
The announcement underscores the long-term benefits of investing in adaptation measures. Citing research from the Canadian Climate Institute, for every dollar spent on adaptation today, an estimated $13-$15 will be returned in the future through direct and indirect benefits.
Steven Guilbeault, minister of environment and climate change, emphasized the importance of being better prepared to address and reduce the impacts of climate change. He highlighted the announcement as a step towards strengthening communities against climate risks, aligning with Canada’s National Adaptation Strategy, a comprehensive blueprint for coordinated and ambitious action to prepare for and mitigate the risks of climate change across society. The collective efforts aim to build climate resilience in communities and the economy, marking significant progress in the nation’s commitment to tackling climate challenges.
