Ontario —Communities across Canada will be able to build environmentally friendly, climate-resilient housing and infrastructure with support from the Climate Toolkit for Housing and Infrastructure (CTHI).
Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, launched a suite of tools, resources, and support services that will be available, free of cost, to communities to help them adapt their infrastructure to changing climate conditions, and also reduce greenhouse gas emissions during new home and infrastructure constructions. The federal government invested $94.7 million in CTHI, and it will include a help desk, an online platform, and a roster of climate and infrastructure experts.
The Climate Help Desk provides communities with direct support and guidance on infrastructure and climate-related concerns. Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada operates the help desk which offers advice and best practices on how to make environmentally friendly and climate resilient considerations during project planning and development.
In collaboration with ICLEI Canada – an organization that supports local governments by providing them with the expertise and resources to take climate action in their communities – we have also launched the ClimateInsight.ca Platform. The platform will ease the burden of data collection for small and medium sized communities. With guided navigation, the platform will provide easy access to curated tools and resources on one dedicated website.
Finally, in partnership with the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI) – a national research organization dedicated to achieving healthy urban development – we will be launching the Roster of Climate and Infrastructure Experts in December 2024. The federal government’s investment will help CUI establish a roster of employees consisting of housing, infrastructure, and climate experts. This service will allow small communities with eligible infrastructure and housing projects to request climate related support. The roster will match communities with specialized experts to provide project-specific advice on reducing emissions and increasing climate resilience.
Investing in the tools and services needed to improve the resiliency of Canadian infrastructure will support the continued success and economic growth of communities for years to come.
“As we deal with the growing impacts of climate change, the Climate Toolkit for Housing and Infrastructure will help us work with communities across the country to ensure that new homes and infrastructure have minimal impact on the environment, while better protecting people, their houses, their businesses, and their livelihoods from the impacts of climate change.” – Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities