A community-led project in the hamlet of Cambridge Bay is taking steps to adapt to climate change by assessing impacts on the Northstar residential and commercial development areas and planning for a changing environment.
The Northstar Climate Readiness Plan project is carrying out a master drainage plan and a snow study that are analyzing how to best manage water and snow in the Northstar development area. The studies' results will then be used for land use planning, policy and construction, with the goal of implementing design changes and adaptive measures to improve livability, safety and climate resilience in these future neighbourhoods.
Today, together with His Worship, Mayor Angulalik Pederson, Hamlet of Cambridge Bay, NU, the Honourable Daniel Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs, announced $157,765 in funding to the Hamlet of Cambridge Bay for this project through the Climate Change Preparedness in the North Program.
This project will provide the environmental and climate change knowledge needed to guide all future development in the area, while reducing infrastructure and maintenance costs, leading to more sustainable and secure housing.
Indigenous, northern, and Arctic communities are seeing the impacts of climate change and that local understanding plays a critical role in infrastructure planning and emergency management, particularly those where climate change affects flooding risks and ground stability.
The Climate Change Preparedness in the North Program supports projects led by Indigenous and northern communities and governments to increase their capacity to adapt to climate change.
This includes support to assess a community's vulnerability to climate change factors such as changing ice conditions, permafrost degradation, coastal erosion, flooding, and wildfires on the natural environment and infrastructure portfolio. This program also supports communities and governments to address climate change as part of community planning and to implement appropriate measures to respond to various impacts.
