All regions of Canada are experiencing environmental, social, and economic impacts that can be attributed to climate change. Adapting standards to ensure infrastructure is climate resilient is critical for Canada and its citizens. Standards can specify performance and material requirements that can be used as the integration point for climate-related risks into infrastructure planning and development processes.
Through funding announced in Budget 2016, SCC is working with Canada’s national standardization network to develop and implement standardization solutions that boost infrastructure resilience and create stronger communities for Canadians. SCC’s Infrastructure and Climate Change Program aims to ensure the effectiveness of standards to address climate risks in the design, planning and management of Canadian infrastructure. To accomplish this, the Program is facilitating the development of, over a five-year period from 2016 to 2020, a new toolbox of resources and standardized guidance related to climate change and climate resilience to support both standards users and developers. In parallel, the Program is updating existing, and developing new, standards to enhance climate resilience for all of Canada.
As of March 31, 2019, SCC’s Infrastructure and Climate Change Program has launched 31 out of 36 planned projects. SCC published a detailed report on the Program’s progress to date in September 2019.
In 2019, SCC will be launching a national campaign. Through the campaign, SCC will seek feedback from engineers, policy makers, standards writers, climatologists, and others involved in the design, building, and maintenance of infrastructure in Canada to determine what standardization gaps exist when in the context of ensuring infrastructure remains resilient to climate change and support the prioritization of future needs.
The campaign will take a two-pronged approach: 1) remote education and consultation, and 2) targeted, in-depth engagement via a series of one-day in-person workshops held in six (6) major cities across the country. The campaign will include a communications component to ensure consistent messaging, maintain a unified look and feel, and drive participation.
A final report will capture the lessons learned and key insights of the campaign, contextualizing those findings within the broader context of the economic impacts of climate change, and serving as a key input into planning for the future of SCC’s Infrastructure Program. Contractors will be engaged to deliver most of the activities, with SCC providing direction and oversight.
As such, SCC is seeking a Supplier to support the design, development, administration, logistics, and facilitation of workshops across Canada.
