Local Municipalities to Receive Climate Change Support.
Communities across Nova Scotia are receiving more support from the Province and Clean Foundation to bring their climate change priorities to life.
Today, May 9, Environment and Climate Change Minister Timothy Halman and Scott Skinner, President and CEO of Clean Foundation, announced the first 12 projects to be supported through the Community Climate Capacity program at the Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities Spring Conference in Baddeck.
“Climate change is impacting Nova Scotians,” said Minister Halman. “Local leadership and action is our best defence to make sure communities are prepared and proactively responding to protect homes, businesses, infrastructure, our coastline and coastal communities, and natural areas. This program will provide the knowledge and capacity that is needed to help communities, including those along the coast, adapt to, and mitigate the impacts of, climate change and become more resilient.”
The 12 projects involve 16 municipalities, one Mi’kmaw community and two community organizations. A dedicated team of climate change experts will help them with the projects over the next three years. In addition, those experts are available to all municipalities to provide climate change educational and capacity-building support.
Other ways the Province is helping communities become resilient to climate change include:
- funding a coastal protection co-ordinator position at the Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities to support municipalities with work to protect coastal communities
- creating the Sustainable Communities Challenge Fund, which provides grant funding for climate change adaptation and mitigation projects
- establishing the Low Carbon Communities Program, which provides funding for low-carbon building, transportation and electricity projects
- creating more flood-line maps
- expanding the stormwater engineer and flood management adaptation positions at the Department of Environment and Climate Change to support municipalities.
Quotes:
“As communities across Nova Scotia struggle with the impacts of climate change, collaborative efforts are essential to support resilience and sustainability. The Community Climate Capacity program, supported by the Province, empowers municipalities, First Nation communities and community groups to build crucial climate change response capacity. Through dedicated expertise and collaboration, we are fostering a greener, more resilient future for all Nova Scotians.”
— Carolyn Bolivar-Getson, President, Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities
“With assistance from the Community Climate Capacity program, the Cape Breton Regional Municipality will be able to help accelerate our climate change response. It is hoped that this funding will give us the capacity to identify natural assets including wetlands, forests and watersheds that are providing real services like flood protection and green spaces.”
— Amanda McDougall-Merrill, Mayor, Cape Breton Regional Municipality
“In our beautiful culture, we honour the past, present and future by thinking of the seven generations ahead. We are making choices today that benefit them all and improve the quality of life. We are striving for a greener future, remembering the wisdom of our ancestors and thinking of the seven generations yet to come. Our actions today shape the world for the next seven generations, and by considering them, we embrace the true essence of sustainability. We’re working together with the Community Climate Capacity team to be strong stewards of the Earth in We’koqma’q First Nation for all future generations, creating a legacy of care and a better quality of life.”
— Carrie Michael, Green Initiative Co-ordinator, We’koqma’q First Nation
“Rural municipalities have small and dynamic teams. The opportunity to have additional resources to move climate action forward is going to have a positive impact here in the Municipality of the District of St. Mary’s and across Nova Scotia. Our participation in the Community Climate Capacity program will enable the updating of our 2021 Climate Change Action Plan, of which a key focus will be to use the data from the municipal flood-line mapping program to inform coastal hazards, adaptation actions and associated funding opportunities.”
— Greg Wier, Warden, Municipality of the District of St. Mary’s
“Kentville is working hard to create a lasting framework that will embed sustainability and resilience into all of its work. Staff support on these issues is the most effective way to accomplish this. During the next three years, we will receive support through the Community Climate Capacity program, which will give us access to the qualified and knowledgeable staff we need to get the work done.”
— Jennifer West, Deputy Clerk, Town of Kentville
“Communities across Nova Scotia are struggling with the capacity to take meaningful action against climate change. Through the Community Climate Capacity program, Clean Foundation will be providing staffing support in the form of planners, adaptation specialists and climate experts to help 19 communities identify and work towards their climate initiatives. The expertise and learnings gained from this work will be shared with all municipalities so that everyone benefits as we move forward to build more climate resilient communities in our province.”
— Scott Skinner, President and CEO, Clean Foundation
Quick Facts:
- the Community Climate Capacity program was created in 2023 as a pilot to help municipalities, First Nation communities and community groups build climate change response capacity
- the Province announced $5 million in funding for the program last May and an additional $1.6 million in February
- the program supports the Province’s coastline protection plan – actions 8-12 in The Future of Nova Scotia’s Coastline support municipalities and their leadership in managing and adapting to coastal hazards from climate change
- the program also supports Section 7(c) in the Environmental Goals and Climate Change Reduction Act, which says one of the government’s goals is to work with municipalities, First Nations and African Nova Scotian communities in Nova Scotia to take immediate and long-term action on their climate change priorities
Additional Resources:
Community Climate Capacity program: https://cleanfoundation.ca/ccc/
The Future of Nova Scotia’s Coastline: A plan to protect people, homes and nature from climate change: https://novascotia.ca/coastal-climate-change/docs/coastline-plan.pdf
Environmental Goals and Climate Change Reduction Act: https://nslegislature.ca/sites/default/files/legc/statutes/environmental%20goals%20and%20climate%20change%20reduction.pdf
Our Climate, Our Future: Nova Scotia’s Climate Change Plan for Clean Growth: https://climatechange.novascotia.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/ns-climate-change-plan.pdf
The first 12 projects:
- Town of Annapolis Royal, Town of Middleton, Municipality of the County of Annapolis – development of a joint climate change action plan; address sea level rise; mitigate the impacts of climate change along the coast
- Town of Shelburne, Municipality of the District of Shelburne, Municipality of Barrington – update climate plan and identify climate risks
- Cape Breton Regional Municipality – use nature-based solutions to make communities more resilient to climate change
- Town of Kentville – public education to raise awareness about climate issues; research ways to produce energy to meet the community’s needs; improve stormwater management and urban greenery
- Municipality of Colchester – support climate adaptation work with a focus on wildfire risk, wastewater treatment and adaptation for coastal parks and trails
- Municipality of East Hants – consider climate change in asset management planning; develop a sustainability strategy
- Municipality of the District of St. Mary’s – update and deliver climate plan, focusing on coastal impacts and flood-line mapping and climate mitigation work
- Municipality of Pictou County, Town of Pictou, Pictou County Partnership – use climate projections in waterfront planning; create green jobs; work with neighbouring municipalities on climate action projects
- Municipality of the District of Lunenburg and Town of Mahone Bay – climate change adaptation and mitigation work, focused on natural assets, coastal wetlands and urban forest management
- Town of Truro – develop and deliver a climate plan; measure and reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- We’koqma’q First Nation – develop a climate plan; explore renewable energy in pursuit of becoming a net-zero community; waste reduction
- Weymouth Falls Community Land Trust – develop a climate public education plan to inform climate adaptation strategies; address food security through local food production and responsible land stewardship
Source: Provincial Release
