OTTAWA, ON, Oct. 24, 2024 /CNW/ - Communities across Canada will be able to build environmentally friendly, climate-resilient housing and infrastructure with support from the Climate Toolkit for Housing and Infrastructure (CTHI).

Today, Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, launched a suite of tools, resources, and support services that will be available, free of cost, to communities to help them adapt their infrastructure to changing climate conditions, and also reduce greenhouse gas emissions during new home and infrastructure constructions. The federal government invested $94.7 million in CTHI, and it will include a help desk, an online platform, and a roster of climate and infrastructure experts.

The Climate Help Desk provides communities with direct support and guidance on infrastructure and climate-related concerns. Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada operates the help desk which offers advice and best practices on how to make environmentally friendly and climate resilient considerations during project planning and development.

In collaboration with ICLEI Canada – an organization that supports local governments by providing them with the expertise and resources to take climate action in their communities – we have also launched the ClimateInsight.ca Platform. The platform will ease the burden of data collection for small and medium sized communities. With guided navigation, the platform will provide easy access to curated tools and resources on one dedicated website.

Finally, in partnership with the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI) – a national research organization dedicated to achieving healthy urban development – we will be launching the Roster of Climate and Infrastructure Experts in December 2024. The federal government's investment will help CUI  establish a roster of employees consisting of housing, infrastructure, and climate experts. This service will allow small communities with eligible infrastructure and housing projects to request climate related support. The roster will match communities with specialized experts to provide project-specific advice on reducing emissions and increasing climate resilience.

Investing in the tools and services needed to improve the resiliency of Canadian infrastructure will support the continued success and economic growth of communities for years to come.

Quotes

"As we deal with the growing impacts of climate change, the Climate Toolkit for Housing and Infrastructure will help us work with communities across the country to ensure that new homes and infrastructure have minimal impact on the environment, while better protecting people, their houses, their businesses, and their livelihoods from the impacts of climate change."

The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities

"The impacts of extreme weather and climate change are no longer distant concerns. This is a new reality municipalities need to prepare for now more than ever while simultaneously shifting towards a net-zero future. Climate Insight will play a crucial role in equipping local practitioners with the data and information they need to build low-carbon, climate-resilient communities."

Megan Meaney, Executive Director, ICLEI Canada

"Communities across Canada are facing an unprecedented challenge in adapting to the growing impacts of climate change while modernizing critical infrastructure. To help advance a sustainable and resilient future, we must support these communities from coast to coast to coast, empowering them to consider climate information in infrastructure decision making. The Roster of Climate and Infrastructure Experts plays a vital role by equipping local governments in smaller communities with the specialized expertise needed to integrate innovative approaches to infrastructure projects that foster locally specific climate solutions."

Mary W. Rowe, President & CEO, Canadian Urban Institute

Quick facts

• On June 27, 2023, the federal government released National Adaptation Strategy. It commits $1.6 billion in new federal funding to help address both immediate and future climate risks to Canadian communities.
• The National Adaptation Strategy and Government of Canada Adaptation Action Plan have committed $94.7M over 5 years to deliver a climate toolkit and services through the Climate Toolkit for Housing and Infrastructure initiative (CTHI).
• The Climate Toolkit for Housing and Infrastructure will support the development of integrated climate-related tools, resources and services for communities:
  • Climate Help Desk to provide direct support to address infrastructure and climate-related inquiries;
  • Roster of Climate and Infrastructure Experts to provide access to expert advice to strengthen climate-related considerations of public infrastructure and housing projects; and
  • Climate Tools and Resources that are widely available and accessible through the ClimateInsight.ca Platform.

Associated links

The Climate Toolkit for Housing and Infrastructure

Climate Help Desk

Climate Insight Platform

Canada's National Adaptation Strategy

Codes, standards and guidance for climate resilience

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SOURCE Department of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities