The Agents of Change Project was a learning journey for all. Over the course of 2022, ten Canadian municipalities worked with ICLEI Canada to design local volunteer engagement programs for climate action. Read case studies from the participating municipalities to discover how ten unique volunteer engagement programs were developed to work towards net-zero and climate resilience, and what lessons were learned along the way. 

Design, organize, and deliver climate action volunteer training in your community. This guide is a tool that can be used to work through logistics and considerations of planning and running volunteer training. It includes questions to conceptualize climate action training, key tasks and checklists, as well as tips on delivering and facilitating a successful training. This resource was created based on current best practices and lessons learned from participants of the Agents of Change project.

This “Workshop in a Box” provides everything you need to develop and deliver a climate communications workshop in your community. Resources include: an instructions and facilitator guide, PowerPoint slides, breakout activity materials, and more. The workshop itself is designed to equip participants with climate communications insights and tools (e.g., how to frame climate messages, identify target audiences, develop communication strategies etc.) that will ultimately allow them to support local climate action in their day-to-day work.

From April 26 to 28, 2023, local leaders from across the entire Western Hemisphere will be meeting in Denver, Colorado to promote regional cooperation. ICLEI Canada’s Megan Meaney and Ewa Jackson will join the diverse and inclusive representatives of government, civil society, business, academia, youth, culture and the arts, and indigenous groups. Check out the engaging program including ICLEI’s session on Urban Development and the Circular Economy.

Learn how to overcome climate-related challenges and reduce GHG emissions in small and rural Canadian communities. This guidebook was designed to help small and rural municipalities develop realistic climate action policies, engage and collaborate with the public, build a GHG inventory baseline, generate municipal revenue through climate action, how to overcome sector-specific challenges, and learn from other Canadian municipalities.

Curious about how circular economy ideas can be used by local governments? This calatogue includes examples to inspire local government actors to take action and lead the circular transitions in their various roles and localities. It is inspired by actions currently underway in cities around the globe, discussions with local government officials reflecting on challenges and potential circular economy solutions, emerging circular economy research, and ICLEI’s Circular City Actions Framework.

Have you had the chance to look at the “Cost of Doing Nothing” (CODN) toolbox yet? Building a local business case for adaptation can help decision makers weigh the costs of climate action versus inaction and support adaptation planning. To help municipalities do this, we developed the CODN Toolbox which can be used to frame the costs of climate change in a local context. The toolbox includes a primer document, an editable municipal template and accompanying instructions, a data collection tracking tool, case studies, and supporting appendices.

While the CODN Toolbox provides all the resources needed to write a CODN report, it still requires time and capacity on the part of municipal staff, as well as a good understanding of local adaptation processes. Our team works with municipalities that have limited capacity to write CODN reports. This BARC member-only service is currently available to Francophone communities until April 30, 2023. Download our brochure for more details.

Over the years, the Livable Cities Forum has become Canada’s preeminent event on local climate action for leaders, urban professionals, and on-the-ground practitioners. Join us September 25 to 27 to explore how to build resilient, equitable, and livable communities through the lens of “Intention to Implementation”.

The Cost of Doing Nothing Toolbox was developed to help local decision makers weigh the costs of action versus inaction when investing in climate action. Watch this webinar replay from November 16, 2023 to learn how the City of Windsor and the City of Hamilton developed local business cases for adaptation, and how you can use resources from the toolbox to do the same in your municipality.

f you know you would like to attend LCF this year, take advantage of early bird rates and the fact that registrations can be transferred between individuals until September 21, 2023. Special LCF rates are also available for local governments that are ICLEI or BARC members. Online registration is quick, secure, and available directly on the LCF website.