Communities across Canada are adapting to a changing climate. Flooding, extreme heat, wildfires and shoreline erosion affect homes and businesses, put pressure on local infrastructure, and add to the costs that families and municipalities carry. Preparing for these risks in advance is one of the most effective ways to keep people safe and to keep those costs from growing.
Today, the Honourable Rebecca Alty, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Member of Parliament for the Northwest Territories announced that the Hamlet of Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories is receiving $70,000 for its Climate Adaptation Plan.
The project will update the Hamlet's 2010 Community Climate Change Adaptation Plan to reflect current environmental, social, and economic conditions. The updated plan will guide decisions on land use, housing, infrastructure, cultural heritage, and food security while building local capacity to address flooding, thaw slumps, coastal erosion, and supply chain risks.
This is just one of 141 climate resilience projects across 128 communities receiving funding from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities' Green Municipal Fund as part of the latest round of commitments under the Local Leadership for Climate Adaptation Initiative.
The initiative supports adaptation plans, climate-focused asset management, risk assessments, financing studies, and projects that reduce risks to communities, homes and businesses. The Canadian Climate Institute estimates that every $1 spent on climate resilience measures in Canada can save up to $15 in the long term.
Protecting Canadians from a changing climate means preparing before the next flood or heat wave, not after. Doing that work now keeps people safe, holds down the costs that families and communities carry, and keeps Canada's economy strong and competitive. Our government will continue to support communities across the country as they build the resilience their residents depend on.
