Canadian Urban Institute launches Climate Ready Infrastructure Service to connect local governments with climate and infrastructure experts

During the annual State of Canada’s Cities Summit in Ottawa, the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI) announced the launch of the Climate Ready Infrastructure Service (CRIS).

CRIS is a four-year project funded by the Government of Canada through Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada’s Climate Toolkit for Housing and Infrastructure. CRIS connects communities with specialized climate and infrastructure experts at no cost to collaborate on advancing low carbon infrastructure projects.

The goal is to empower local governments with populations around or under 30,000 to include low-carbon climate resilience considerations into their housing and infrastructure projects across Canada.

“Canada can protect its communities, support economic stability, and create a sustainable future in the face of changing climate realities by investing in resilient infrastructure,” said Mary W. Rowe, CUI CEO and president. “Ensuring the resilience and sustainability of these systems requires a proactive approach, integrating climate considerations into all aspects of infrastructure planning and design. By providing expert guidance and technical advice, local governments gain the tools they need to better serve their communities, reduce emissions, and meet the challenges of climate change head-on.”

Officially launched on December 5, 2024, CRIS will support a range of housing and infrastructure projects delivered by local governments.

Examples of potential projects to be funded include connecting a municipality with an expert to better understand the cost-benefits of different low-carbon resilience options for the renovation of a community centre, and supporting a First Nation to retain an expert from CRIS to evaluate risk-related options for a proposed site for a new bridge and identify ways it can be more climate resilient.

CRIS is a valuable resource for communities to build a more sustainable and resilient future and will build local capacity by providing access to specialized knowledge and align local investments with national climate adaptation and mitigation goals.