After a summer with over $7 billion in insured losses from floods, fires and hailstorms, the Coalition makes its second push for funds to achieve rapid, tangible progress on climate adaptation targets

OTTAWA, ON, Oct. 22, 2024 /CNW/ - For the second year in a row, Climate Proof Canada is calling on the federal government to provide key funding for its National Adaptation Strategy to help defend Canadians from the increasing risk of more frequent and severe climate perils such as wildfires, floods and extreme heat. 

Today in Ottawa, federal cabinet ministers and opposition critics, Indigenous leaders and communities, mayors and municipal leaders, senior executives from property and casualty insurers and other industries, first responders, disaster response organizations, NGOs, leading academics as well as other partner organizations, came together with the goal of making Canada more resilient to climate change.

"After the most-destructive season in Canadian history for insured losses due to severe weather, it has never been more urgent to make our communities more resilient to climate change" said Jason Clark, Chair, Climate Proof Canada. "We need an all-of-society effort to protect our families, homes and businesses, but leadership must come from the federal government by investing at least $5.3 billion annually in the National Adaptation Strategy over the next five years." 

Climate Proof Canada shared its recommendations to make rapid, tangible progress on implementing Canada's National Adaptation Strategy. Coalition members will also hold a series of Parliamentary discussions on building safe and thriving communities for all people living in Canada.

Members of the coalition met with key staff members from the Honourable Dan Vandal's office, Dane Lloyd MP, Shadow Minister for Emergency Preparedness, Laurel Collins, MP, NDP Critic for Environment and Climate Change, Kelly Gillis, Deputy Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada, Yasir Naqvi, MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health, Francis Drouin MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Harjit Sajjan, Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Adam van Koeverdan MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minster of Environment and Climate Change to discuss funding recommendations for urgent areas of climate-related risk.

The four recommendations discussed at the meetings are summarized as follows:

• Immediately commit to establishing a whole-of-society approach to disaster preparedness, response and recovery, to explore the development of coordination measures, including, but not limited to, a National Emergency Management Agency, where each level of government and sector enables the other to do their part to close existing capacity and capability gaps.
• By 2028 implement a National Recovery Strategy to ensure that all orders of government, including Indigenous governments, have established emergency management planning and processes; enhanced preparedness and adaptation capacity for climate risk with key indicators; enhanced disaster response and recovery capacity; and clear and reduced national recovery timelines to enable impacted communities to return to their homes within two years after an incident.
• In the upcoming Fall Economic Statement commit funds to stand up the reinsurance entity to administer Canada's National Flood Insurance Program for high-risk households (committed to in Budgets 2023 & 2024) in partnership with property & casualty insurers through a new subsidiary of CMHC.
• Implement a national education program to promote guidance on extreme weather protection and physical risk at the level of the home and business, aligned with the forthcoming public flood portal as well as other hazard risk awareness efforts.

The full recommendations document is available here.

Community Resilience Recognition Luncheon

Climate Proof Canada also held its first Community Resilience Recognition Luncheon today, which recognized six communities from across Canada for their contribution to climate resilience. The recipients, who will have a tree planted in the local communities in appreciation of their contribution to climate resilience, are:

• City of Beaconsfield
• Paddle Prairie Metis Settlement
• Halifax Regional Municipality
• City of Hamilton
• Dufferin County
• City of Saskatoon

Click here to read more about the recipients' resilience projects.

About Climate Proof Canada
Climate Proof Canada is a national coalition of Canadian business representatives, disaster relief organizations, municipalities, Indigenous organizations, environmental NGOs and think tanks that believe Canada must prepare for the present and growing effects of climate change by building a more disaster-resilient country. For more information, visit Climate Proof Canada.

SOURCE Climate Proof Canada