A national coalition focused on “building a more disaster-resilient country” has decried the absence of any reference to climate adaptation measures in the federal government’s fall economic statement.
This failure to incorporate climate resilience into the economic agenda is a “missed opportunity,” according to Climate Proof Canada, which includes insurance industry representatives, municipal governments, Indigenous organizations, environmental NGOs and research firms.
“Canada must recognize the impact climate change is having on households across the country,” said Jason Clark, the coalition’s chair. “We must factor resilience measures into housing investments so that we build homes in the right way and in the right places.”
The concerns raised by Climate Proof Canada centre on the National Adaptation Strategy, which mandates the integration of resilience measures into all infrastructure investments by 2024.
According to Clark, the government’s failure to discuss climate adaptation measures, climate resilient housing or infrastructure in the fall economic statement “makes funding the National Adaptation Strategy all the more important in the 2024 Budget.”
“It’s critically important that we build homes in the right way, in the right places, so that households are protected now and into the future,” he said.
While welcoming the establishment of the Canada Water Agency as a positive step toward sustainable freshwater management, the coalition also urged the government to encourage the Canada Infrastructure Bank to explore and support climate-resilient investments in communities striving to enhance housing infrastructure.
Furthermore, Clark pointed to a set of recommendations developed by the coalition to guide federal investments toward tangible progress aligned with targets set out by the National Adaptation Strategy.
These recommendations are focused on climate proof housing, building climate resilient infrastructure, Indigenous resilience, and adapting to extreme heat.
“A range of immediate actions that do not require additional budgetary investment has also been identified,” Clark added.
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