RC117 MarApr 2025 - Magazine - Page 16
CLIMATE ADAPTATION
STRENGTH IN
PREPARATION
How local governments are building
resilience to climate impacts
by Dustin Carey
T IS NOT EVERY DAY that a small-town mayor is considered a guest of
honour at an event involving multiple cabinet ministers and members of parliament. But in the context of 2024, Jasper is no ordinary
town.
In July, Canadians watched as 昀氀ames tore through the beloved
town nestled in the Canadian Rockies. First there was the deep
anxiousness of whether the wild昀椀re would reach the community, and
then, as communications failed, the dread that came from questioning
if there would be a town left.
Taking the stage at the National Climate Adaptation Summit,
Mayor Richard Ireland could have shared a story of loss. A story of
homes engulfed; livelihoods destroyed; a town overwhelmed. While
his address paid homage to the hard realities of the tragedy, what
resonated most was the story of a community that planned for the
worst, and as the 昀氀ames approached turned preparation to action.
Jasper’s leadership long ago realized that it was vulnerable to
wild昀椀re risk and rose to the challenge. Over decades they thinned
vegetation, established response procedures, and retro昀椀tted
infrastructure to reduce the likelihood of combustion. By the 2024
wild昀椀re season, Jasper was arguably the most wild昀椀re-ready
municipality in the country.
While headlines dwelt on the fact that 30 per cent of structures
were tragically lost, the crucial 昀氀ipside is that 70 per cent—including
all the critical infrastructure key to the town’s recovery—was saved.
That wasn’t by chance. Nor was the fact that, within a span of hours
in the middle of the night, Jasper National Park, the Municipality
of Jasper, and the Province of Alberta were able to evacuate 25,000
people.
By a wide margin, 2024 was the most expensive year for climate
disasters in Canadian history. From wild昀椀res and 昀氀oods to hail and
hurricanes, virtually no corner of the country escaped unscathed.
While insured losses are a useful proxy to communicate the extent of
impact, they fail to convey the role local governments like Jasper play
in mitigating the severity of potential damage.
I
Dustin Carey is Lead,
Climate Adaptation,
Federation of Canadian
Municipalities’ Green
Municipal Fund.
16
Building resilience from the ground up
In 2023, the Government of Canada released its National Adaptation
Strategy. A de昀椀ning feature of the strategy is the recognition that
addressing climate change impacts requires a whole-of-society
approach. While the federal government plays a central role, private
and public actors alike share the responsibility of creating a resilient
Canada.
RENEW CANADA – MARCH/APRIL 2025
Jasper’s leadership long ago realized that it was
vulnerable to wildfire risk and rose to the challenge, and
by the 2024 wildfire season, the town was arguably the
most wildfire-ready municipality in the country.
RENEWCANADA.NET
