RU R A L D E V E LO PM E N T I N S T I T U T E K N OW L E D G E B R I E F FA L L 2016

KNOWLEDGE BRIEF

Climate Change Adaptation Part III:
Climate Change Adaptation from Planning to Implementation

Bill Regner photo

INTRODUCTION

The District of Elkford, BC

While small and rural communities have common
characteristics each community is unique. Climate
change adaptation should reflect the distinctive
perspectives, priorities and circumstances of each
community. While adaptation is place-based,
learning from other communities’ experiences in the
adaptation process can help a community prepare
for their own experience. Below are experiencebased recommendations for climate change
adaptation.

Elkford was one of the first communities in Canada
to integrate a climate adaptation strategy within
their OCP. In 2008-2009, Elkford undertook a year
long process using climate change scenarios
to identify associated potential local impacts,
vulnerabilities, and risks. Utilizing this assessment,
the community developed strategies and actions,
and in 2010 released their integrated community
sustainability plan. The Elkford OCP includes a
Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategy along with
Climate Change Adaptation. With specific policies
related to protecting water sources, reducing water
consumption and addressing increased risks of
wildfires and flooding, the OCP provides a roadmap
to direct growth and development while protecting
and enhancing Elkford’s current quality of life.

ADOPT INTEGRATED APPROACHES
Adaptation should be integrated into municipal
policies, planning, practices and tools, and current
and future programs whenever possible.1, 2
Mainstreaming adaptation into primary community
work areas and planning documents such as Official
Community Plans (OCP), lowers the probability of
the topic being ignored.3 Adaptation actions that
also provide social, economic, and environmental
benefits encourage collaborative planning and
implementation.4 – 9

Read more about Elkford’s Official Community Plan.

1.888.953.1133

www.cbrdi.ca

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APPLY ECOSYSTEM-BASED APPROACHES
Where appropriate adaptation should take into
account strategies to increase ecosystem resilience
and protect critical ecosystem services (e.g.,
watersheds and wetlands provide abundant filtered
water, reduce flooding, and offset drought impacts)
on which humans depend, to reduce vulnerability
of human and natural systems to climate change.
Approaches that maintain and enhance the
interconnectedness of communities with natural
systems offer increased resilience along with other
benefits.10, 11, 12
Case Study: Towards an Eco-Asset
Strategy in the Town of Gibsons, BC
In 2009 it was set forth that Canadian municipalities
must not only record the purchase or construction
of infrastructure and assets, but also include asset
depreciation in financial statements. The Town of
Gibsons is taking effective asset management one
step further by including traditional assets (e.g.,
roads, storm sewers) as well as natural assets, or
‘eco-assets’ (e.g., forests, aquifers, creeks, wetlands
and foreshores) that provide essential civil services
to citizens.
Gibsons recognized that their eco-assets may play
an increasingly important role in climate change
adaptation. In an uncertain climate future
Gibsons can:
•

•

Manage risk through a clear understanding of
what services they receive from natural assets,
such as flood prevention, provision of drinking
water, and rain water management, and what it
would cost to replace the natural asset with an
engineered alternative if the natural assets were
degraded or destroyed.
Save on cost by managing natural assets in a way
that they will provide services at lower cost than
engineered solutions and in perpetuity.

Recognizing the important role that the natural
environment plays in supporting communities will
lead to more informed and holistic decision-making,
long term cost savings, and the addition of cobenefits such as healthy local ecosystems.
For more information visit the Town of Gibsons
Website.

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PRIORITIZE THE MOST VULNERABLE &
START WITH SIMPLE SOLUTIONS
Adaptation strategies should look to the areas
and infrastructure of the community that are most
vulnerable to climate impacts (e.g., areas prone to
flooding, vulnerable to drought or neighbourhoods
susceptible to wildfire). Support for adaptation can
be found through actions taken towards immediate,
recognizable threats.13, 14 It is important to begin by
implementing adaptation actions that are simple
and cost-effective, as this can help build support
and momentum for larger more complex actions
later on.15, 16
Communities, such as those in the Basin, in areas
where the frequency and intensity of extreme
precipitation events are projected to increase can
look towards simple solutions to reduce the amount
of stormwater run-off that can overwhelm and leave
vulnerable storm drainage systems and property as
well as to conserve rainwater for domestic uses.
For example:
•

In 2016, the region of Peel created an incentive
in the form of a rebate for local homeowners
which offered a maximum of $100 per home to
disconnect their downspouts.17

•

The Regional District of Nanaimo offers a rebate
up to $750 for homeowners who install a cistern
as part of a rainwater harvesting system on their
property.18

Targeted, simple, low cost adaptation initiatives such
as these can play an effective role in a communities’
overarching adaptation strategy. For more indepth look at tools for stormwater management
and enhancing community climate resilience, see:
Enhancing climate resilience of Subdivision and
Development Servicing Bylaws in the Columbia
Basin: A guidance document.

BENEFIT FROM EXTERNAL
COLLABORATION & RECRUIT EXPERTS
Partnerships are needed and can be beneficial to
all participants. Partnering with different levels of
government, post-secondary institutes, community
groups, and non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) can provide the expertise and support to
inform adaptation planning and implementation.
Collaboration between neighbouring municipalities
can help address issues that cross administrative

boundaries.19 – 26 Involving experts can help the
climate change adaptation planning process, and
link it to regional and provincial processes. Experts
can also answer technical questions and lend
additional credibility.27, 28, 29

Bill Regner photo

Promoting Climate change Adaptation
Through Regional Collaboration
The Powell River Regional District includes five
rural electoral areas, three unincorporated villages,
Tia’amin Nation, and the City of Powell River. In their
2015-2018 strategic plan they incorporated climate
change mitigation and adaptation as a strategic
priority with a key component being establishment
of an approach for climate change hazard
identification.
Powell River Regional District recognizes that
climate change adaptation can benefit through
collaboration. They partnered with:
•

The University of British Columbia to provide
coastal assessments to support public
information brochures and to establish coastal
indicators to support adaptation planning; and

•

With the BC Climate Action Secretariat to bring
in experts to discuss climate change science and
participate in events for local communities.

USE BEST- AVAILABLE SCIENCE &
COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY
Adaptation should be grounded in the bestavailable scientific understanding of climate change
risks, impacts, and vulnerabilities.30, 31 However, it
is important to recognize that localized climate
change projections are not necessarily needed to
begin the process and that local knowledge can
be leveraged to inform planning.32 Climate change
adaptation can be a complex issue to communicate,
so remember to:
•

Distinguish between adaptation and mitigation;

•

Engage everyone - use accessible language and
maps and do not overwhelm people with graphs
and statistics;

•

Make the adaptation conversation relevant to
your audience and identify tangible solutions
they can relate to. Take the conversation outside
– a community walk-about can be a valuable
information sharing tool for this; and

•

If needed, reframe the discussion using
economic and financial rationales.33 – 38

ESTABLISH MONITORING &
EVALUATION PLANS
Monitoring and evaluation is an important
component of the implementation phase of
climate change adaptation. Establishment of a
system to observe results can track successes and
shortcomings of adaptation initiatives. Results can
be used to guide and assist future actions and to
communicate success to community stakeholders.39
Adaptation is iterative and periodic evaluation
ensures that the community is taking new
information and using it to inform future decisions.
Several resources exist to help establish a system
of indicators and processes for evaluation (see
Appendix of Key Resources).

KNOWLEDGE BRIEF

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Establishment of partnerships to overcome capacity
constraints is necessary and can offer rewarding
experiences for all involved.

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Columbia Basin Trust – Creating Videos
for Education
The Columbia Basin Trust created videos
communicating climate change science and the
effects that Basin communities can expect to
experience. They use plain language and simple
graphics to engage everyone and were able to create
resources they can leverage in future adaptation
programming.
Videos:

Adaptation Library – Resources for
Climate Adaptation
The library is a publicly accessible and searchable
collection of community, forestry, and energy related
climate change adaptation information resources.
It houses over 100 documents and allows users to filter
according to filter those according to region, sector, and
climate change impacts.
http://www.adaptationlibrary.ca/

Canadian Communities’ Guidebook for
Adaptation to Climate Change
The guidebook provides an in-depth collection of climate
change adaptation actions as well as useful tools and
resources to be utilized in the planning process. It also
outlines an approach to generate mitigation co-benefits
in the context of sustainable development.
https://www.fcm.ca/Documents/tools/PCP/canadian_
communities_guidebook_for_adaptation_to_climate_
change_EN.pdf

Climate Change 101

Climate Change 102

Climate Change Adaptation Planning: A
Handbook for Small Canadian Communities
The handbook helps small Canadian communities to
prepare and implement a Climate Change Adaptation
Plan. It outlines key steps required to plan for adaptation
and presents tools to assist decision-makers determine
what strategic actions need to be taken. It is especially
useful for small communities without ‘in house’ planning
resources.
https://www.cip-icu.ca/Files/Resources/RURALHANDBOOK-FINAL-COPY

Climate Change Adaptation Community of
Practice (CCACOP)

Climate Extremes

From Dialogue to Action

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APPENDIX OF KEY RESOURCES

Rural Development I n s t i t u t e K N OW L E D G E B R I E F Fa ll 2 0 1 6

This portal serves as a space for an interactive online
community dedicated to advancing knowledge and
action in the area of climate change adaptation.
The CCACOP serves as a location where researchers,
experts, policy-makers and practitioners from across
Canada can come together to ask questions, generate
ideas, share knowledge, and communicate with others
working in the field of climate change adaptation.
https://ccadaptation.ca/

Columbia Basin Trust (CBT ) –
Climate Change
The CBT website hosts a suite of information related
to climate change that was developed to provide
communities in the Canadian Columbia Basin with
information and tools to help them become more resilient
to climate change impacts and extreme weather.
http://ourtrust.org/our-work/climate-change/

Indicators of Climate Adaptation in the
Columbia Basin: How ‘State of The Basin’
Indicators can be used to Measure Climate
Changes, Impacts and Progress Towards
Adaptation
This report reviews indicators for the Columbia Basin Trust
region and their ability to measure the effectiveness of
climate adaptation. It introduces a suite of regional-level
indicators in order to assist communities in understanding
climate change and adaptation, help decision-makers
in the Basin make informed decisions and measure the
success of adaptation efforts.

http://ourtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/
delightful-downloads/IndicatorsClimateAdaption_
FullReport__forweb_FINAL-1.pdf
Land Use Planning Tools for Local
Adaptation to Climate Change
This report published by the Government of Canada
introduces land use planning tools and decision support
tools available to Canadian communities in the context of
climate change adaptation.
http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2013/
rncan-nrcan/M4-106-2012-eng.pdf

Official Community Plan Policies
Supporting Climate Resilience –
A Resource Guide for Communities in the
Canadian Columbia Basin

Deb Booth photo

Plan2Adapt Interactive Planning
Tool Website
The Plan2Adapt tool generates maps, plots, and data
describing projected future climate conditions for regions
throughout British Columbia. It is designed to help you
assess climate change in your region based on a standard
set of climate model projections.
https://www.pacificclimate.org/analysis-tools/plan2adapt

Preparing for Climate Change: An
Implementation Guide for Local
Governments in British Columbia
This guide is designed to assist local governments to plan
and act in ways that will make their communities more
resilient to the impacts of climate change. It identifies
tools that local governments can use to implement
adaptation strategies.
http://wcel.org/sites/default/files/WCEL_climate_change_
FINAL.pdf

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The resource guide provides local governments with
guidance and examples for the integration of climateresilient policies into the Official Community Plan bylaws
and Development Permit Area guidelines. While aimed
at the Columbia Basin, this resource can prove useful to
communities in other jurisdictions.
http://ourtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/
downloads/2015-11_Trust_ClimateResilience_
OCPResourceGuide.pdf

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REFERENCES & RESOURCES
1.

Center for Climate Strategies (2011). Comprehensive
Climate Action Planning: The Center for Climate
Strategies Adaptation Guidebook. Retrieved from
http://www.climatestrategies.us/library/library/
view/908.

2.

ICLEI Canada (2016). Making Strides on Community
Adaptation in Canada. Retrieved from http://www.
icleicanada.org/component/k2/item/244-makingstrides-on-community-adaptation.

3.

Canadian Institute of Planners (2012). Climate
Change Planning: Case Studies from Canadian
Communities. Retrieved from http://www.cip-icu.ca/
Files/Resources/CASE-STUDIES-FROM-CANADIANCOMMMUNITIES-FINAL.

4.

Canadian Institute of Planners (2011) Climate
Change Adaptation Planning: A Handbook for Small
Canadian Communities. Retrieved from https://
www.cip-icu.ca/Files/Resources/RURAL-HANDBOOKFINAL-COPY.

5.

Headwater Economics (2012) Implementing
Climate Change Adaptation: Lessons learned
from ten examples. Retrieved from http://www.
sustainablecitiesinstitute.org/topics/climateadaptation-and-resilience/adaptation-planning/
implementing-climate-change-adaptation-lessonslearned-from-ten-examples.

Rural Development I n s t i t u t e K N OW L E D G E B R I E F Fa ll 2 0 1 6

6.

Bizikova L., T. Neale and I. Burton 2008. Canadian
communities’ guidebook for adaptation to climate
change. Including an approach to generate
mitigation co-benefits in the context of sustainable
development. First Edition. Environment Canada and
University of British Columbia, Vancouver.

7.

Richardson, G.R.A. and Otero, J. (2012). Land use
planning tools for local adaptation to climate
change. Ottawa, Ont.: Government of Canada, 38 p.

8.

Baker, I, et al. (2012) Local government response to
the impacts of climate change: An evaluation of local
climate adapatation plans. Journal of Landscape and
Urban Planning.

9.

West Coast Environmental Law (2012). Preparing for
Climate Change: An Implementation Guide for Local
Governments in British Columbia. Retrieved from
http://wcel.org/sites/default/files/WCEL_climate_
change_FINAL.pdf.

10. Center for Climate Strategies (2011).
11. Bizikova L., T. Neale and I. Burton 2008. Canadian
communities’ guidebook for adaptation to climate
change. Including an approach to generate
mitigation co-benefits in the context of sustainable
development. First Edition. Environment Canada and
University of British Columbia, Vancouver.

12. West Coast Environmental Law (2012).

26. West Coast Environmental Law (2012).

13. Center for Climate Strategies (2011).

27. Fraser Basin Council. (2013) District of Saanich Case
Study. Retrieved from http://www.fraserbasin.bc.ca/_
Library/CCAQ_BCRAC/bcrac_fbc_cs_saanich.pdf.

14. Headwater Economics (2012).
15. ICLEI (2016).
16. Canadian Institute of Planners (2011).
17. https://www.peelregion.ca/pw/water/sewage-trtmt/
downsput-disconnection-rebate.html.
18.

http://www.rdn.bc.ca/cms.asp?wpID=2500#4

19. Fraser Basin Council. (2013) Cariboo Regional District
Case Study. Retrieved from http://www.fraserbasin.
bc.ca/_Library/CCAQ_BCRAC/bcrac_fbc_cs_crd.pdf.
20. Canadian Institute of Planners (2012).
21. ICLEI (2016).
22. Canadian Institute of Planners (2011).
23. Headwater Economics (2012).
24. Headwater Economics (2012).
25. Ian M. Picketts , John Curry & Eric Rapaport
(2012) Community Adaptation to Climate
Change: Environmental Planners' Knowledge and
Experiences in British Columbia, Canada, Journal of
Environmental Policy & Planning, 14:2, 119-137, DOI:
10.1080/1523908X.2012.659847.

28. Canadian Institute of Planners (2012).
29. Headwater Economics (2012).
30. Center for Climate Strategies (2011).
31. Fraser Basin Council. (2013a).
32. Canadian Institute of Planners (2012).
33. Fraser Basin Council. (2013b).
34. Fraser Basin Council. (2013a).
35. Canadian Institute of Planners (2012).
36. Canadian Institute of Planners (2011).
37. Headwater Economics (2012).
38. Headwater Economics (2012).
39. ICLEI (2016).

KNOWLEDGE BRIEF

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C L I MAT E C H A N G E A DA P TAT I O N PA R T I I I: C L I MAT E C H A N G E A DA P TAT I O N F ROM P L A N N I N G TO I M P L E M E N TAT I O N

The Columbia Basin Rural Development Institute, at Selkirk College, is a regional research centre with a
mandate to support informed decision-making by Columbia Basin-Boundary communities through the
provision of information, applied research, and related outreach and extension support.
Visit www.cbrdi.ca for more information.

www.cbrdi.ca

1.888.953.1133