Important AITI update!
We have received approval to open the Advancing Implementation Training Initiative (AITI) to Conservation and Health Authorities working with municipalities or Indigenous communities.
The application deadline has been extended to Friday, March 14, 2025 to give municipalities, Indigenous communities and partner organizations more time to apply. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Karina Richters at karina.richters@iclei.org.
New Resources to Check Out
Climate Change, Health Equity and the Built Environment
Get equipped with ready-to-share facts and tools needed to advance action at the intersection of climate change, health, and the built environment.
This resource aims to equip Ontario’s public health professionals with concise information and actionable tools to advance knowledge, communication, and action at the intersection of climate change, health equity, and the built environment. It is designed to support meaningful engagement, strengthen existing collaborations, foster knowledge-sharing, and promote the integration of climate change, health equity, and built environment considerations across all facets of public health operations.
Climate Change Adaptation Practice Guide
This new guide is designed to help planners and related professionals integrate climate adaptation into practice.
This new resource is designed to serve as a reference for inspiration and ideas to help planners and related professionals integrate climate adaptation into practice. Using this guide, Ontario planners can draw valuable insights from climate actions undertaken elsewhere in the province while empowering communities to create interventions that resonate with their values and needs.
Building to Net-Zero Jurisdictional Scan
Explore the jurisdictional realities of high-performance and net-zero building energy frameworks across Canada.
Improving building energy performance offers important benefits for local communities, including reduced greenhouse gas emissions, long-term cost savings for residents, and better air quality and health. The BNZ Jurisdictional Scan shows that many local governments are eager to take action towards high performance buildings and are ready to implement those ambitions when empowered to do so.
Climate Communications Toolkit
Discover practical approaches, behavioural insights, and case stories designed to help you use communications to support local climate action.
The Climate Communications Toolkit is designed for local practitioners and community leaders looking to use communications to support the implementation of climate action and build better, more resilient communities. More specifically, it reflects the reality that it is not enough for people to know about climate change—they need to be inspired and motivated to take action.
Climate Communications Training Series Recordings Are Now Available
Learn how to apply behavioural insights to climate communications, transform abstract concepts and data into relatable narratives, and effectively deliver climate messages.
A Climate Communications Training Series was designed and delivered as a practical companion to unpack and practice the strategies included in the Climate Communications Toolkit.
Coming Up
BC Climate Resilience Summit 2025
Join us Monday, March 3, 2025 at the BC Climate Resilience Summit in Vancouver. We will be taking part in an innovation showcase from 3:55 to 4:40 pm PT and in a panel discussion on leadership and climate action from 5:00 to 6:00 pm PT.
PCP Community of Practice
The Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) Community of Practice is launching a series on climate misinformation next week. Member municipal staff and elected officials are invited to join the first session on Thursday, March 6, from 1:00 to 2:00 pm ET to explore approaches and strategies for addressing this growing challenge.
Towards Inclusive Adaptation Equity Workshop
Whether you are seeking to initiate change or make existing practices more equitable, this workshop will offer insights and practical solutions to foster inclusive and resilient adaptation efforts in your community. Join us and FCM’s Green Municipal Fund on Thursday, March 6, 2025 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm ET.
Climate Change Adaptation Practice Guide For Planners Webinar
Join us, the Ontario Professional Planners Institute, and Climate Risk Institute on Friday, March 7 from 12:00 to 1:00 pm ET to learn about the new Climate Change Adaptation Practice Guide and how planners can lead in building climate-resilient communities.
Advancing Transport and Climate Priorities With the Climate Toolkit for Housing and Infrastructure
Join a live demonstration of the Climate Toolkit for Housing and Infrastructure on Thursday, March 13, from 1:00 to 2:00 pm ET. Following the demonstration, we will take part in a fireside chat to discuss how the toolkit—including Climate Insight—can support transport-specific project needs.
Ontario Municipalities’ Experience with Green Development Standards
Thinking about or starting to work on Green Development Standards (GDS)? Join the next Building to Net-Zero (BNZ) Community of Practice on Tuesday, March 27 from 2:00 to 3:00 pm ET to gain insights and peer-to-peer guidance that will help you determine whether GDS are the right fit for your community.
LCF 2025 Registration Opens Soon
We will be announcing the preliminary program and opening registration for LCF 2025 very soon. Plan to join us in Halifax, NS October 6-8, 2025!
In Case You Missed It…
Ontario Resource Centre for Climate Adaptation (ORCCA) Regional Climate Action Symposium
Last week, ORCCA program participants, key stakeholders, and collaborators from across the Great Lakes and Ontario region came together. This one-day event celebrated the progress made through ORCCA initiatives, explored innovative approaches to addressing climate challenges, and strengthened connections among individuals and organizations committed to climate action.
Watch a Recording of the First BNZ Community of Practice
This first Building to Net-Zero (BNZ) Community of Practice session explored why municipal leadership in building energy performance is essential and practical strategies to help articulate co-benefits in order to drive local support and implementation.
Watch the AITI Information and Q&A Webinar Replay
Watch a replay of the February 4, 2025 AITI Information and Q&A webinar to learn more about the AITI project goals, phases, and timelines. You will also learn what to expect from the program, how to apply, and listen to insightful Q&A sessions.
Catch the next Climate Insight Personalized Training Opportunity
The Climate Insight trainings we provided at the Sustainable Communities Conference were a hit! Sign up to the Climate Insight mailing list to find out about upcoming opportunities to access personalized trainings.
Welcome to the team!
Ainaz Bozorgzadeh, Project Director, Coastal Climate Resilience
Ainaz is leading the Pacific North Shore and Sunshine Coast Regional Climate Collaborative. She is a Professional Engineer and an accredited Infrastructure Resilience Professional with over 15 years of experience in climate mitigation and adaptation projects and programs. Her career journey started in consulting engineering with carbon accounting and energy audits of infrastructure. In the past decade, her professional focus has been on climate adaptation, bringing together multidisciplinary teams to conduct climate impact assessments for Federal, Provincial and Municipal government assets. Most recently, Ainaz worked as Senior Advisor of Climate Action and Sustainability with Technical Safety BC, developing the regulatory body’s Climate Resilience Program and maintaining relationships with partners in academia, housing, and First Nation organizations to break silos and activate multi-solving.
Kimberly Coulombe, Senior Project Officer
Kimberly Coulombe is a senior project officer at the Quebec Office, where she supports the implementation of climate change adaptation and mitigation projects. Before joining ICLEI Canada, she worked in public participation, civic engagement, and social impact strategy. This diverse background makes Kimberly an agile professional with expertise in stakeholder engagement, facilitation, and the analysis of complex problems. With a bachelor’s degree in political science and a certificate in immigration and interethnic relations from Université du Québec à Montréal, Kimberly carries out her mandates with rigor and an open attitude favouring multidisciplinary, holistic, and collaborative approaches.
Reach us
ICLEI Canada
401 Richmond St W (Suite 204)
Toronto, ON M5V 3A8