Climate Resilient Burlington
On April 23, 2019, Burlington City Council declared a climate emergency “for the purposes of deepening our commitment to protecting our economy, environment and community from climate change.”
Burlington is one of many local governments planning actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions within city operations and community wide to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. However, we must also do what we can to adapt to our changing climate which is projected to be warmer, wetter and wilder.
Actions related to climate adaptation are already being carried out locally. Developing Climate Resilient Burlington: A Plan for Adapting to Our Warmer, Wetter and Wilder Weather, will help identify additional vulnerabilities and risks requiring further attention and align actions to plan for our changing climate.
On April 23, 2019, Burlington City Council declared a climate emergency “for the purposes of deepening our commitment to protecting our economy, environment and community from climate change.”
Burlington is one of many local governments planning actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions within city operations and community wide to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. However, we must also do what we can to adapt to our changing climate which is projected to be warmer, wetter and wilder.
Actions related to climate adaptation are already being carried out locally. Developing Climate Resilient Burlington: A Plan for Adapting to Our Warmer, Wetter and Wilder Weather, will help identify additional vulnerabilities and risks requiring further attention and align actions to plan for our changing climate.
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Annual Progress Report - Now available
Share Annual Progress Report - Now available on Facebook Share Annual Progress Report - Now available on Twitter Share Annual Progress Report - Now available on Linkedin Email Annual Progress Report - Now available linkThe Climate Resilient Burlington: a plan for adapting to our warmer, wetter and wilder weather annual progress report (EICS-05-24) and appendix A & B are now available to read. This report is going to the Committee of the Whole meeting on May 13, 2024.
Requests to delegate to this hybrid meeting can be made by completing the online delegation registration form at www.burlington.ca/delegate, by noon the business day before the meeting is to be held.
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Taking Action on Climate Change
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Our climate is changing. It's not just about polar bears and melting ice caps; it's about our homes, our communities, and our future.
We all need to ‘Take Action Burlington’ to:
- Reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, and
- Take steps to adapt to our warmer, wetter and wilder weather.
Small actions can lead to big impacts. Whether it's reducing single-use plastics, making the switch to active and sustainable modes of transportation, replacing your gas or diesel vehicle with an electric vehicle, replacing your furnace with an air source heat pump, naturalizing your garden to attract pollinators, taking steps to reduce your risk of flooding, or advocating for sustainable, climate friendly policies – every effort counts!
In 2019, Burlington City Council declared a climate emergency to deepen our commitment to protecting our economy, environment and community from climate change and apply a climate lens to our plans and actions.
Through our corporate and community plans, we are working towards carbon neutrality while also adapting to climate change.
Some of our actions include:
- Planning for City buildings and vehicles to be low or zero carbon,
- Increasing renewable energy on municipal property,
- Supporting active and sustainable transportation,
- Growing our tree canopy,
- Protecting our greenspace, and
- Reducing our flood risk.
Check out our video and stay tuned for future Take Action Burlington posts and videos on how we can all take action to reduce our climate impact and prepare for our warmer, wetter and wilder weather.
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Climate Resilient Progress Report going to the Environment, Infrastructure and Community Services Committee
Share Climate Resilient Progress Report going to the Environment, Infrastructure and Community Services Committee on Facebook Share Climate Resilient Progress Report going to the Environment, Infrastructure and Community Services Committee on Twitter Share Climate Resilient Progress Report going to the Environment, Infrastructure and Community Services Committee on Linkedin Email Climate Resilient Progress Report going to the Environment, Infrastructure and Community Services Committee linkClimate Resilient Progress Report going to the Environment, Infrastructure and Community Services Committee on June 28, 2023.
Standing committee and City Council meetings are held using a hybrid model, allowing members of Council, city staff and the public the option of participating remotely or in-person at city hall, 426 Brant St. Requests to delegate to this hybrid meeting can be made by completing the online delegation registration form at www.burlington.ca/delegate, by submitting a written request by email to the Office of the City Clerk at clerks@burlington.ca or by phoning 905-335-7600, ext. 7481 by noon the business day before the meeting is to be held.
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Webinar recording now available
Share Webinar recording now available on Facebook Share Webinar recording now available on Twitter Share Webinar recording now available on Linkedin Email Webinar recording now available linkPlease enjoy the recording of the webinar Burlington Sustainable Advisory Committee hosted on March 30 called 'Manage rain where it falls'
To enable the closed captioning, hover over the video and select the CC icon.
Our climate is changing, and we are experiencing warmer, wetter and wilder weather. There are things we can do to better prepare ourselves for unpredictable rainstorms and risk of flooding to increase our resiliency.
Join Sasha Benevides, Community Outreach Coordinator, Conservation Halton to learn about how nature-based solutions, also known as Low Impact Development (LID), can help. Sasha will highlight how you can work with nature to manage rain on your property through rain barrels, rain gardens, native plants, downspout disconnection, permeable pavement and more.
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City of Burlington awarded an A for carbon disclosure and climate change efforts
Share City of Burlington awarded an A for carbon disclosure and climate change efforts on Facebook Share City of Burlington awarded an A for carbon disclosure and climate change efforts on Twitter Share City of Burlington awarded an A for carbon disclosure and climate change efforts on Linkedin Email City of Burlington awarded an A for carbon disclosure and climate change efforts linkThe City of Burlington is pleased to announce it has received an A grade for climate action efforts from the Climate Disclosure Project (CDP). This is the second year the City has reported on its climate action efforts to the CDP organization. The City received a B rating last year when it first started reporting. CDP is a non-profit charity and provides a global disclosure climate action reporting platform for companies and all levels of government. Burlington is one of 122 municipalities around the world to achieve an A grade, out of over 1,000 who participated in reporting this year.
The City submitted progress updates on the implementation of its climate related plans, including the community-based Climate Action Plan, the Corporate Energy and Emissions Management Plan (for City operations) and the recently completed Climate Resilient Burlington – A Plan for Adapting to Our Warmer, Wetter and Wilder Weather. CDP is recognizing the City for its reporting and efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to a changing climate.
A List cities and counties are demonstrating climate leadership through collective action, just as national governments have been asked to at COP27. Council and City staff are happy to achieve the high rating on our second year of reporting, however, action on climate change is more urgent than ever to become a low carbon resilient community.
Reporting through the CDP platform helps the City to meet its reporting requirements for the Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM), the largest global alliance for city climate leadership across the globe.
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Climate Resilient Burlington plan approved by Burlington City Council
Share Climate Resilient Burlington plan approved by Burlington City Council on Facebook Share Climate Resilient Burlington plan approved by Burlington City Council on Twitter Share Climate Resilient Burlington plan approved by Burlington City Council on Linkedin Email Climate Resilient Burlington plan approved by Burlington City Council linkBurlington City Council has approved Climate Resilient Burlington: A Plan for Adapting to Our Warmer, Wetter and Wilder Weather. This plan identifies Burlington’s risks and vulnerabilities from climate change and is directly related to 2018-2022 Burlington’s Plan: From Vision to Focus.
About the Climate Resilient Burlington plan
The purpose of the Climate Resilient Burlington (CRB) plan is to identify actions to manage the highest risks of warmer, wetter and wilder weather. While the CRB plan considers Burlington’s climate projections to the years 2051-2080 under a high emissions scenario, the plan outlines 32 actions under five themes focusing on building resilience and preparing for a changing climate over the next 10 years. Although this is Burlington’s first climate adaptation plan, work is not starting from scratch, but rather building on initiatives already underway.
The CRB plan was developed with City staff and community stakeholders representing 12 City departments and 17 community organizations. The community was also engaged throughout the process through a number of measures including a dedicated project page, a public project launch and surveys.
CRB Themes and Goals
Theme 1: Resilient Built and Natural Infrastructure
Goal: Manage infrastructure to prepare for future climate conditions and carbon neutral goals
Goal: Enhance resilience of infrastructure exposed to high flood risk
Goal: Invest in proactive measures to prepare for increased extreme events to avoid post-storm reactive costsTheme 2: Thriving Natural Environment
Goal: Reduce damage to trees while increasing the value of the services they provide
Goal: Value, conserve and enhance the multiple services that natural areas provideTheme 3: Extreme Heat and Health
Goal: Provide City services to support the community during extreme heat eventsTheme 4: Disaster Resilience
Goal: Build capacity in the community to prepare for and respond to more extreme events and long-term climate stresses
Goal: Encourage climate adaptation actions from citizens and businessesTheme 5: Strong and Resilient Economy
Goal: Support agricultural community in preparing for climate change
Goal: Support and develop resilient local supply chains to help withstand impacts associated with extreme climate events outside of BurlingtonProjects with links to climate actions underway
There are several climate actions already underway through various City departments and projects. Each item listed has a direct link to reducing risk, reducing emissions or preparing for climate change effects.
- Alert Burlington – Community Notification System
- Cooling and Warming Centres in partnership with Burlington Public Library
- Home Flood Protection Assessment Program
- Plumbing Permit Fee Grant Program
- Stormwater infrastructure improvements such as larger creek culverts and creek channel improvements
- Burlington Stormwater Management Design Guidelines
- Urban Forest Master Plan
- Municipal Natural Assets Initiative – Grindstone Creek Watershed Project
- Spencer Smith Park and Beachway stabilization and wave breaks
- Asset Management Plan
- Climate Action Plan (focusing on reducing community emissions)
- Corporate Energy and Emissions Management Plan
- City View Park pavilion and solar installation
- Anti-idling campaign and bylaw
- Expansion of the City’s electric vehicle charging stations
- Electric Mobility Strategy
- Corporate Green Fleet Strategy
- Integrated Mobility Plan (focusing on active and public transportation)
- Rural Active Transportation Strategy
- Cycling Plan, a component of the Integrated Mobility Plan, which includes projects such as the Plains Road bikeway improvements
- Major Transit Station Areas (MTSA)
- Other projects
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Climate Resilient Plan to be considered
Share Climate Resilient Plan to be considered on Facebook Share Climate Resilient Plan to be considered on Twitter Share Climate Resilient Plan to be considered on Linkedin Email Climate Resilient Plan to be considered linkBurlington’s first plan on climate adaptation called Climate Resilient Burlington: A Plan for Adapting to Our Warmer, Wetter and Wilder Weather will be considered at the Environment, Infrastructure and Community Services (EICS) committee meeting on July 7, 2022. The plan was first presented as a draft to the EICS committee on May 5, 2022.
Background
The purpose of the Climate Resilient Burlington (CRB) plan is to identify actions to manage the highest risks of warmer, wetter and wilder weather. While the CRB plan considers Burlington’s climate projections to the years 2051-2080 under a high emissions scenario, the plan outlines 32 actions under five themes focusing on building resilience and preparing for a changing climate over the next 10 years. Although this is Burlington’s first climate adaptation plan, work is not starting from scratch, but rather building on initiatives already underway.
Plan Development
The CRB plan was developed with City staff and community stakeholders representing 12 City departments and 17 community organizations. The community was also engaged throughout the process through a number of measures including a dedicated project page, a public project launch and surveys.
A more detailed follow-up post will be published should City Council approve the plan on July 12, 2022.
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Climate Resilient Burlington: A Plan for Adapting to Our Warmer, Wetter and Wilder Weather - Draft Plan Available for Review
Share Climate Resilient Burlington: A Plan for Adapting to Our Warmer, Wetter and Wilder Weather - Draft Plan Available for Review on Facebook Share Climate Resilient Burlington: A Plan for Adapting to Our Warmer, Wetter and Wilder Weather - Draft Plan Available for Review on Twitter Share Climate Resilient Burlington: A Plan for Adapting to Our Warmer, Wetter and Wilder Weather - Draft Plan Available for Review on Linkedin Email Climate Resilient Burlington: A Plan for Adapting to Our Warmer, Wetter and Wilder Weather - Draft Plan Available for Review linkClimate Resilient Burlington (CRB): A Plan for Adapting to Our Warmer, Wetter and Wilder Weather identifies actions to manage the highest risks of warmer, wetter and wilder weather. While the CRB plan considers Burlington’s climate projections to the years 2051-2080 under a high emissions scenario, the plan outlines actions to focus on over the next 10 years to build resilience and prepare for a changing climate. It should be noted that many of the actions are building on work already underway and referred to in the plan under ‘related initiatives.’
The CRB plan was developed using a bottom-up approach with 49 City staff and community stakeholders representing 12 City departments and 17 community organizations through 15 workshops between September 2021 and January 2022 as well as additional follow-up. The community was also engaged through a dedicated CRB page on the Get Involved Burlington portal, a survey on the vision and principles of the CRB, and a public launch in October 2021.
The draft CRB plan is now available and will be presented to the Environment, Infrastructure and Community Services (EICS) Committee on May 5, 2022. If you would like to speak to City Council about the staff report and plan, you may register to delegate.
Please consider providing your feedback through the current surveys which are divided into two sections:
- City of Burlington Actions: 32 actions listed within five themes (one survey per theme)
- Citizen Action Checklists and proposed future Community Climate Resilience Education Program (one survey)
You can choose to respond to one or more surveys, which are open until May 8 at 11:59 p.m.
The final CRB plan will be presented to the EICS Committee in July 2022.
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City of Burlington awarded high marks for carbon disclosure and climate change efforts
Share City of Burlington awarded high marks for carbon disclosure and climate change efforts on Facebook Share City of Burlington awarded high marks for carbon disclosure and climate change efforts on Twitter Share City of Burlington awarded high marks for carbon disclosure and climate change efforts on Linkedin Email City of Burlington awarded high marks for carbon disclosure and climate change efforts linkThe City of Burlington is pleased to announce it has received a B grade for climate action efforts from the Climate Disclosure Project (CDP). This is the first time the City has received a grade. CDP is a non-profit charity and provides a global disclosure climate action reporting platform for businesses and all levels of government.
The City reported its progress on the implementation of the community-based Climate Action Plan, the community emissions inventory and carbon reduction target. CDP awarded the City a B for its reporting, recognizing its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate change.
Reporting through the CDP platform helps the City to meet its reporting requirements for the Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM), the largest global alliance for city climate leadership across the globe. The City joined GCoM in 2020 and was one of 25 Canadian municipalities to participate in Showcase Cities, a program hosted by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Partners for Climate Protection program and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability. The program was designed to support municipalities in their actions to meet the requirements of GCoM.
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Watch the Launch Video
Share Watch the Launch Video on Facebook Share Watch the Launch Video on Twitter Share Watch the Launch Video on Linkedin Email Watch the Launch Video linkWatch the Climate Resilient Burlington launch event with David Phillips who through factual and entertaining storytelling highlighted what’s happening to our weather, what should we be worried about, and what we can do to make a difference and be better prepared.
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Who's Listening
Level of Engagement
Key Dates and Milestones
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2020 Research Phase
Climate Resilient Burlington has finished this stageWork to develop Climate Projections for Burlington Region and Climate Change Impacts Story Map
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March 4, 2021 - Environment, Infrastructure and Community Services Meeting
Climate Resilient Burlington has finished this stageA report was presented to Council introducing the project along with
- Climate Projections for Burlington Region
- Climate Change Impacts Story Map
- Infographics
See the document library to view the documents.
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March to June 2021
Climate Resilient Burlington has finished this stageStaff stakeholder team begins meeting, March 2021
Community stakeholder team begins meeting, June 2021
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September 2021 - January 2022
Climate Resilient Burlington has finished this stageStaff and Community Stakeholder Workshops
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October 27, 2021 - 7:00 - 9:00 pm Climate Resilient Burlington Virtual Project Launch Event
Climate Resilient Burlington has finished this stageJoin David Phillips, senior climatologist, Environment and Climate Change Canada as he presents "Weather and Climate; It's Not What Our Grandparents Knew".
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October 27 - November 14 - Project Vision and Principles - Survey
Climate Resilient Burlington has finished this stageSurvey starts October 27
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April 22- May 8, 2022 - Engagement Opportunity
Climate Resilient Burlington has finished this stageClimate Resilient Burlington Draft Plan Survey
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May 5, 2022 - Environment, Infrastructure and Community Services Meeting
Climate Resilient Burlington has finished this stageDraft Climate Resilient Burlington recommendation report
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July 7, 2022 - Environment, Infrastructure and Community Services Committee
Climate Resilient Burlington has finished this stageFinal Climate Resilient Burlington report for approval
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June 28, 2023 Progress Report
Climate Resilient Burlington has finished this stageClimate Resilient Progress Report going to the Environment, Infrastructure and Community Services Committee on June 28, 2023.
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September 16, 2023 Food for Feedback event
Climate Resilient Burlington has finished this stageThe City of Burlington will be hosting Food for Feedback, a community engagement BBQ. Join us on Saturday September 16 from 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. at Central Park, 2299 New St . Vegetarian and Halal options are available.
Note: in case of inclement weather, the event will be held indoors at the Burlington Seniors' Centre.
Attendees will receive a free lunch from a food truck, in exchange for providing feedback to the City on projects and initiatives, including Climate Resilience.
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Implementation
Climate Resilient Burlington is currently at this stageThe implementation will be on-going
Document Library
- EICS-03-21 Climate Adaptation Plan.pdf (335 KB) (pdf)
- EICS-03-21 - Appendix A Climate Projections for Burlington Region.pdf (2 MB) (pdf)
- EICS-03-21 - Appendix B Infographics for Burlington Region.pdf (448 KB) (pdf)
- EICS-03-21 Staff Presentation.pdf (1.74 MB) (pdf)
- EICS-02-22 - Appendix A Climate Resilient Burlington May 2022 Draft Plan.pdf (18.6 MB) (pdf)
- EICS-02-22 - Appendix B CRB Survey Results on Vision Principles Climate Impacts and Actions.pdf (932 KB) (pdf)
- EICS-02-22 - Appendix C CRB Climate Change Vulnerability and Risk Assessment Technical Report.pdf (2.03 MB) (pdf)
- EICS-02-22 - Appendix D CRB Engagement Plan Oct 2021.pdf (503 KB) (pdf)
- EICS-02-22 - Appendix E CRB Engagement Report March 2022.pdf (1.39 MB) (pdf)
- EICS-02-22 - Climate Resilient Burlington (CRB) Staff Report.pdf (217 KB) (pdf)
- EICS-12-2022 - Appendix A Climate Resilient Burlington Plan.pdf (17.4 MB) (pdf)
- EICS-12-2022 - Appendix B Community Responses on Draft CRB Plan.docx (265 KB) (docx)
- EICS-12-2022 - Climate Resilient Burlington.docx (79.1 KB) (docx)
- EICS-02-22 - Climate Resilient Burlington Staff Presentation Final.pdf (1.56 MB) (pdf)
- EICS-07-23 - Climate Resilient Burlington Progress Report.pdf (304 KB) (pdf)
- EICS-07-23 - Appendix A Climate Resilient Burlington Progress Report .pdf (418 KB) (pdf)
- EICS-05-24 Climate Resilient Burlington year 2 progress report.pdf (300 KB) (pdf)
- EICS-05-24 Climate Resilient Burlington Year 2 Progress Report Appendix A.pdf (357 KB) (pdf)
- EICS-05-24 Climate Resilient Burlington Year 2 Progress Report Appendix B.pdf (207 KB) (pdf)
FAQs
- What is the difference between weather and climate?
- What is climate change?
- What is the difference between climate mitigation and climate adaptation?
- Climate Resilient Burlington: A Plan for Adapting to Our Warmer, Wetter and Wilder Weather is speaking about events far into the future, right?
- What programs or information currently exist to help me adapt to warmer, wetter and wilder weather?