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

On February 20, 2025, the Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, along with the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, on behalf of the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, announced over $3.6 million in funding for six projects in Quebec under Natural Resources Canada’s Climate Change Adaptation Program (CCAP) and the Climate-Resilient Coastal Communities (CRCC) Program.

These projects aim to support regions and sectors in Quebec and across Canada adapt to a changing climate by developing future climate scenarios, adaptation tools and resources, knowledge sharing networks and integrated adaptation plans and actions.

The funding announced today comes from a total investment of $39.5 million, announced on November 14, 2024, through the CCAP and the 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 three projects under the CCAP:

Project Name: Economic analyses of wildfire adaptation measures for Quebec
Recipient: Nada Conseils Inc.
Reach: Quebec
Location: Laval, Quebec
Funding from the CCAP: $750,000
Project Summary: This project aims to quantify the economic costs associated with wildfires in Quebec in the context of climate change and to assess the profitability of various adaptation measures using cost-benefit analyses.

Project Name: Post-2100 climate change scenarios: Mining sector case study
Recipient: Ouranos
Reach: National
Location: Montreal, Quebec
Funding from the CCAP: $290,410
Project Summary: This project will develop post-2100 climate scenarios that map possible futures for the province of Quebec, as well as broader climate scenarios for the rest of the country. The project will use these climate scenarios to develop case studies for informing adaptation decision-making in the mining sector.

Project Name: Toward a resilient future: How sharing and collaboration support adaptation!
Recipient: Centre d’expertise et de recherche en infrastructures urbaines
Reach: Quebec
Location: Montreal, Quebec
Funding from the CCAP: $194,104
Project Summary: This project will bring together professionals, including engineers, urban planners, landscape architects and accountants, and municipal stakeholders to share knowledge on best practices for adapting urban infrastructure climate change.

NRCan is funding the following three projects under the CRCC Program:

Project Name: Resilience to Climate Change Using the Adaptation Pathways Approach in the Gaspé Peninsula
Recipient: Centre d’initiation à la recherche et d’aide au développement durable
Reach: Gaspé Peninsula, Quebec
Location: La Haute Gaspésie, La Côte-de-Gaspé, Le Rocher-Percé, Bonaventure, Avignon
Funding from the CRCC Program: $977,032
Project Summary: This project will operationalize climate change adaptation for Gaspé Peninsula communities by adopting a pathways approach designed to provide a focal point for transformational adaptation led by community-based priorities. It will integrate health and environmental co-benefits into socio-economic development projects to allow communities to become more resilient in response to climate change risks, contributing to the overall well-being of these communities in a way that protects the environment.

Project Name: Adaptation to Climate Change for Main Economic Sectors of Quebec Coastal Communities
Recipient: Association des professionnels en développement économique du Québec
Reach: Quebec
Location: Bas-Saint-Laurent, Côte-Nord, Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine
Funding from the CRCC Program: $832,575
Project Summary: This project will conduct a vulnerability assessment of the negative impacts of climate change on the coastal communities in Bas-St-Laurent, Côte-Nord and Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine as well as the commercial fishing, tourism and construction sectors by exploring short- and long-term prospective scenarios. It will develop potential adaptation actions for these coastal communities and three economic sectors to improve their climate and economic resilience.

Project Name: Adaptive Management of Climate Vulnerabilities for Coastal Communities in the Manicouagan RCM
Recipient: Région de biosphère Manicouagan-Uapishka
Reach: Manicouagan Region, Quebec
Location: Innu community of Pessamit, Ragueneau, Pointe-aux-Outardes, Pointe-Lebel, Chute-aux Outardes, Baie-Comeau, Franquelin, Godbout, Baie-Trinité, Rivière-aux-Outardes
Funding from the CRCC Program: $599,152
Project Summary: This project will adopt a participatory and iterative approach for the development of a regional adaptation plan and thematic action plans to address climate change risks in Manicouagan Regional County Municipality (RCM) coastal communities. This project responds directly to a need identified by the Manicouagan RCM during the revision of its regional land use and development plan, which asks municipalities to integrate adaptation actions into their policies and plans relating to public health and safety constraints linked to climate change.