Climate Insider Brief:
- The Canadian government announced over $2.6 million in funding for seven projects under Natural Resources Canada’s Climate Change Adaptation Program (CCAP).
- The funding is aimed at helping small, rural, and Indigenous communities adapt to climate change through training, tools, and meaningful collaboration with Indigenous partners.
- The funded projects include initiatives like ClimateWest’s capacity-building in the Prairies, Calgary’s climate-resilient homes framework, and Indigenous-led efforts such as Fort McKay First Nation’s integration of Indigenous knowledge into oil sands mine reclamation.
PRESS RELEASE – December 03, 2024 – On December 3, 2024, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, along with Member of Parliament George Chahal, announced over $2.6 million in funding for seven projects in the Prairies under Natural Resources Canada’s Climate Change Adaptation Program (CCAP).
These projects aim to help small, rural and Indigenous communities in the Prairies and across Canada adapt to a changing climate by developing training, tools and resources. They will also advance collaboration and meaningful engagement with First Nations partners and support them with the planning and implementation of actions that will help them adapt to a changing climate.
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 seven projects under the CCAP:
Project Name: Climate Ready Prairies
Recipient: ClimateWest
Reach: Prairies
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Funding from the CCAP: $599,944
Project Summary: This project will increase the capacity of leaders in business, Indigenous communities, all orders of government, adaptation professionals, non-profits and others across Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba to overcome behavioural, social and cultural barriers to climate change adaptation action through the development of a communications and engagement training guide and through the delivery of hybrid training events for a diverse audience.
Project Name: Alberta Climate-Ready Homes
Recipient: City of Calgary
Reach: Alberta
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Funding from the CCAP: $450,000
Project Summary: This project will analyze climate risks and associated adaptation measures for the residential sector in urban Alberta. This work will include a cost-benefit analysis of the top adaptation measures identified, and results from this analysis will inform the development of a framework for a residential climate resilience incentive program.
Project Name: File Hills Qu’Appelle Tribal Council Initiative on Adaptation Action
Recipient: File Hills Qu’Appelle Tribal Council
Reach: Saskatchewan
Location: Fort Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan
Funding from the CCAP: $430,166
Project Summary: This project will explore the experience, knowledge, setbacks and challenges that File Hills Qu’Appelle Tribal Council (FHQTC) Member Nations have experienced regarding climate change adaptation planning and implementation.
Project Name: Indigenous-led Climate Adaptation Planning for Closure and Reclamation of Oil Sands Mines
Recipient: Fort McKay First Nation
Reach: Alberta
Location: Fort McKay, Alberta
Funding from the CCAP: $366,646
Project Summary: This project will use a participatory planning approach to engage oil sands operators and other key stakeholders in developing a guidance document that integrates Indigenous knowledge and western science and incorporates adaptation planning into life-of-mine closure plans for oil sands mines within Fort McKay’s Traditional Territory.
Project Name: Expanding our Understanding of Meaningful Engagement and Advancing Community-Relevant Approaches to Climate Adaptation in Small, Rural and Indigenous Communities across Canada
Recipient: The Resilience Institute
Reach: National
Location: Canmore, Alberta
Funding from the CCAP: $350,330
Project Summary: This project will expand understanding of equitable and meaningful engagement and advance community-relevant approaches to climate change adaptation, with a particular focus on co-developing and co-implementing climate resilience programming in small, rural and Indigenous communities across Canada.
Project Name: Touchwood Agency Tribal Council (TATC): A Toolkit for Climate Change Adaptation Decision-Making
Recipient: Touchwood Agency Tribal Council
Reach: Touchwood Agency Tribal Council
Location: Punnichy, Saskatchewan
Funding from the CCAP: $295,500
Project Summary: This project will provide culturally relevant resources and mentorship to assist decision-makers and communities of the Touchwood Agency Tribal Council in assessing the feasibility of implementing adaptation projects.
Project Name: Maximizing Pathways to Forest Sector Adaptation by Reducing Barriers for Small Enterprise
Recipient: University of Winnipeg
Reach: National
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Funding from the CCAP: $187,127
Project Summary: This project team will conduct research and develop tools to support climate change adaptation actions by small-to-medium-sized enterprises operating in the forest sector.
Source: Government of Canada
Featured Image: Credit: Canadian Climate Institute
