TIME: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Session Abstract:
Canada’s rapidly changing climate and related hazards are taking a toll on the service and durability of infrastructure and buildings and the safety and security of Canadians and their homes. Increasingly frequent, severe and longer-lasting weather events, along with rising temperatures and sea levels, are causing significant damage to infrastructure and posing a threat to quality of life from coast to coast to coast.
Investment, location, design and operational decisions all provide key opportunities to include considerations related to climate resilience. Climate-informed decisions can lower the total cost of asset ownership, increase service reliability (fewer power outages) and better protect communities. This can be done by helping minimize property damage, maintaining essential services, avoiding premature repair and replacement costs, and preparing communities to recover more quickly from disasters.
It is important to take into account the needs of vulnerable communities, use a combination of general and nature-based approaches, and implement strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These actions are crucial for advancing resilience and developing solutions that create important co-benefits.
Buildings and transportation in particular require the most investment to adapt to severe climate change risks such as flooding, erosion, wildfires and thawing permafrost. For example, climate-smart design of buildings and homes must consider future climate variability, such as temperature increases, extreme precipitation and, in some cases, increasing risks from wildfires.
The research is clear, according to the Canadian Climate Institute for every dollar spent on adaptation measures today, $13-$15 will be returned in years ahead in direct and indirect benefits. In the long term, ensuring infrastructure resilience to climate change benefits people and the economy.
This webinar will provide an overview of climate change and the impact on Canadian communities, the importance of adapting to climate change and how climate resilient infrastructure and buildings can protect Canadian’s and their assets. Additionally, it will outline the work underway to advance codes and standards utilizing future climate data and the benefits of natural infrastructure.
Learning Outcomes:
• A deeper understanding of the impacts of climate change on public infrastructure.
• Public policy approaches to integrate climate resilience into infrastructure.
• Emerging tools, resources and knowledge products to enhance climate resilience in our core public infrastructure.
• Natural infrastructure as an emergent solution – and the co-benefits it delivers.
About the speakers:
Erin Taylor is the Director of the Adaptation and Resilience Division with Infrastructure Canada. Erin’s team leads climate adaptation and resilience policy and guidance development that informs infrastructure programming and advances climate resilient public infrastructure investment, including the development and implementation of the infrastructure theme of the National Adaptation Strategy and the Government of Canada Adaptation Action Plan. This team also works closely with the National Research Council and the Standards Council of Canada to develop climate resilient codes, standards and guidance and promote their uptake across Canada. Erin co-chairs INFC’s federal-provincial-territorial Resilient Infrastructure Working Group (with the Government of British Columbia) and is a member of the Infrastructure Resilient Infrastructure Resilience Professional (IRP) Stewardship Committee. Prior to joining Infrastructure Canada in September 2022, Erin spent 20 years leading climate change mitigation and adaptation policy development for the Government of Prince Edward Island. Erin is trained as an environmental scientist with a B.Sc. from the University of Guelph and a M.Sc. from the University of Windsor. She is passionate about building collaborative relationships, networks and human-centred policies and programs.
Chad Nelson serves as Principal Advisor (Environment), in the Policy and Results Branch of Infrastructure Canada. After 15 years in with Environment and Climate Change Canada, he joined Infrastructure Canada in 2016, Chad leads a team that tackles issues related to climate adaptation, resilience, disaster mitigation and natural infrastructure. The team contributes to key program and policy initiatives, including INFC’s Climate Lens, the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund, and intergovernmental engagement. He oversees work with the National Research Council to develop cli-mate resilient guidance for public infrastructure.
Previously, he held policy and applied research positions at Environment and Climate Change Canada, Health Canada, Fisheries and Oceans. He has worked in five provinces in various roles including at the former National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy, the Clean Air Strategic Alliance, the International Institute for Sustainable Development, ENGOs, provincial and local governments. He has a M.A. in Community and Regional Planning (Natural Resources) from U.B.C. and a B.A. (Environment and Resource Studies) from Trent University.
Marianne Armstrong is the Director of the National Research Council’s (NRC’s) Climate Resilient Built Environment Initiative. In this role, she establishes and executes the national research program to increase the resilience of Canada’s infrastructure and buildings to climate change and extreme events. Since 2016, she has led the R&D vision in this area, directing and inspiring multi-disciplinary resources at the NRC and collaborators from over 170 different organizations to achieve critical progress and impacts in support of national policy on adaptation. Ms. Armstrong has built her career at NRC over the past 20 years, with a strong research background in building envelope and materials, and residential energy technologies. Marianne is a member of the Professional Engineers of Ontario, holds a MSc in Industrial Design from University of New South Wales, Sydney, and a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from Queen’s University.
Registration Fee:
Licensed OAA Member: $39 + HST
OAA Interns: $29 + HST
Non-Members: $59 + HST
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