Canada Invests in Climate Change Adaptation to Keep Communities Safe in Northern Ontario and Across Canada

On January 29, 2025, Marc G. Serré, Parliamentary Secretary to the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, along with Member of Parliament Viviane Lapointe and Member of Parliament Anthony Rota, announced over $2.7 million in funding for five projects based in Northern Ontario under Natural Resources Canada’s Climate Change Adaptation Program (CCAP).

These projects aim to support professionals, decision makers and First Nation communities in northern Ontario and across Canada to advance the implementation of climate change adaptation plans and actions through the development and delivery of tools, training and resources. One of the projects will also identify lessons learned from previously implemented adaptation actions.

The funding announced today comes from a total investment of $39.5 million, announced on November 14, 2024, through the CCAP and the Climate-Resilient Coastal Communities (CRCC) Program to reduce climate change risks and build more resilient communities across the country in support of the National Adaptation Strategy (NAS). 

NRCan is funding the following five projects under the CCAP:

Project Name: CanAdapt: Advancing a Climate-Ready Workforce Through Courses and Networks
Recipient: Climate Risk Institute
Reach: National
Location: Sudbury, Ontario
Funding from the CCAP: $1,300,000
Project Summary: This project will support the development of a skilled adaptation workforce by making relevant education and training opportunities, resources and networks more accessible through the enhancement of a centralized capacity-building portal and practitioner networks to assist adaptation professionals in building and mobilizing knowledge.

Project Name: Partnership for Indigenous Climate Change Adaptation GeoHub and Microcredential Capacity Building Tools
Recipient: Laurentian University of Sudbury
Reach: Ontario
Location: Sudbury, Ontario
Funding from the CCAP: $546,195
Project Summary: This project will, in collaboration with First Nations, increase the capacity of staff in First Nation communities and Councils to conduct community-based climate change impact and risk assessments and adaptation planning and action by completing the online Partnership for Indigenous Climate Change Adaptation (PICCA) GeoHub.

Project Name: Professions Advancing Adaptation Competencies (PAAC): An Initiative of Canada’s National Engineering, Planning, Accounting and Landscape Architecture Associations
Recipient: Climate Risk Institute
Reach: National
Location: Sudbury, Ontario
Funding from the CCAP: $442,851
Project Summary: This project will develop recommendations for national professional associations to integrate climate change adaptation competencies into the profiles and responsibilities of specific professions. It will also develop profession-specific guides, webinars and other marketing and outreach activities to promote the recommendations.

Project Name: Analysis and Reporting on Lessons Learned From Adaptation Implementation
Recipient: Climate Risk Institute
Reach: National
Location: Sudbury, Ontario
Funding from the CCAP: $259,045
Project Summary: This project will empower decision-makers and practitioners in natural resource sectors to advance adaptation in different sectors and regions through knowledge and tools that highlight lessons learned from previously implemented adaptation actions. Lessons learned will focus on drivers and enablers of successful progression from planning to the implementation of adaptation actions, including best practices for overcoming barriers.

Project Name: Development of a National Climate Adaptation and Resilience Professional Development Program for Forest Professionals
Recipient: Canadian Institute of Forestry
Reach: National
Location: Mattawa, Ontario
Funding from the CCAP: $190,687
Project Summary: This project will build the capacity of forest professionals in Canada by developing and delivering a climate change adaptation multi-module course, leveraging existing resources and knowledge.