FCM President Taneen Rudyk issued this statement following the federal government’s unveiling of the National Adaptation Strategy.

“The Federation of Canadian Municipalities welcomes today’s announcement of the federal government’s National Adaptation Strategy – a critical framework that will help to better protect Canadian communities from the effects of extreme weather events made more severe by a changing climate. The announcement included a significant investment in the Green Municipal Fund (GMF) to support, accelerate, and scale up community-based climate adaptation initiatives.

“For several years now, record-breaking heatwaves, flooding and devastating hurricanes, storms and wildfires have wreaked havoc on homes, businesses and communities. These extreme weather events are frequent and severe, and Canada is not prepared to face them.

“There is an urgent need to ramp up our efforts to better understand and mitigate climate risk both short and long term across the country, especially for the communities that are most at risk.

“By leveraging our deep networks of municipalities and municipal associations across Canada, the Green Municipal Fund is uniquely positioned to deliver adaptation-focused capacity building and funding directly to local governments.

“This new approach to supporting municipal adaptation efforts will provide a single window for communities across Canada to advance their adaptation priorities through GMF—a long-standing, widely recognized and highly successful mechanism in the delivery of high-impact environmental outcomes. And it is an important recognition of the leadership role municipalities play in driving solutions for national challenges.

“FCM was also pleased to see that the National Adaptation Strategy framework signals meaningful progress toward a whole-of-Canada approach to climate mitigation and adaptation.   We recognize the progress made today through the top-up to the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund (DMAF) and will continue to emphasize the importance of long-term, predictable funding for climate resilient infrastructure. FCM is calling on the federal government to commit to long-term funding through DMAF, starting in Budget 2023.

“Recent events have taught us that when federal and municipal leaders work together, we can face these challenges in a way that supports our economy, builds stronger communities and ensures Canadians’ quality of life.

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) unites more than 2,000 local governments at the national level, representing more than 92 per cent of Canadians in every province and territory.

FCM delivers the Green Municipal Fund, a $1.6 billion program funded by the Government of Canada. GMF helps local governments switch to sustainable practices faster. Its unique mix of funding, resources and training give municipalities the tools they need to build resiliency – and create better lives for Canadians. Since its establishment in 2000, GMF has approved 1,931 sustainability projects, which reduced GHG emissions by 2.82 million tonnes, while also contributing $1.14 billion to the national GDP, and 12,179 person-years of national employment. 

Its companion program, the Municipal Asset Management Program, a $110-million program funded by the Government of Canada, supports Canadian municipalities in strengthening infrastructure investment decisions based on reliable data and sound asset management practices and integrating climate considerations into their asset management approach. MAMP has invested so far $65 million in 1,538 municipal asset management projects, $20 million in grants to 36 partners delivering 565 training events and workshops.

For more information: FCM Media Relations, (613) 907-6395, media@fcm.ca

Climate change
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