March 2026 Newsletter
Letter from the Executive Director
As we recently discussed with ICLEI Peer Network members, many municipalities are currently navigating political and policy shifts. Some are positioning climate action as a driver of economic competitiveness, energy security, and long-term affordability, while others are relying on partnerships to continue moving their work forward. One thing is clear: as always, municipalities are on the front lines.
At ICLEI Canada, we are equipping communities with practical resources, capacity, and support to advance local climate action. In this newsletter, you’ll find the new Building to Net-Zero database, along with upcoming opportunities and project updates to help move work forward. You’ll also want to stay tuned throughout the year—and join us at Adaptation Canada 2026 this fall—as we share new resources filled with practical tools, findings, and lessons learned.
Megan Meaney
Executive Director, ICLEI Canada
New! Building to Net-Zero (BNZ) Database
Discover practical examples and guides to support net-zero building development in your community.
The new BNZ Database helps local governments learn what peers across Canada are already doing to advance building energy performance while also supporting social, economic, and sustainability goals. Use the BNZ Database to find local government-led initiatives, data, programs, and tools on:
- Benchmarking, reporting, and disclosure
- Community ownership models
- Diversity, equity, and inclusion
- Education and training
- Incentives for new and existing buildings
- Restrictions on fossil fuels in buildings
- Building performance standards for existing buildings
- Green development guidelines for new buildings
Explore the database to learn from local initiatives across the country, and share your own to help it grow.
Upcoming Events and Opportunities
April Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) Community of Practice
PCP Members can learn about carbon markets in the next community of practice call on Thursday, April 2, from 1:00 to 2:00 pm EDT. We will get an introduction to carbon markets and explore potential opportunities for municipalities to buy and sell carbon and renewable energy credits in Canada.
Prairies Skills Lab: Work on your infrastructure project with experts
Working on housing or infrastructure projects in Alberta, Manitoba, or Saskatchewan? Join us for an online Climate Insight Skills Lab for Prairie communities on Wednesday, April 8, from 10:00 to 11:30 MDT/11:00 to 12:30 CDT. Work through questions and challenges related to your projects in real time, and see how you can leverage free resources to make your work easier.
Take Advantage of Adaptation Canada 2026 Early Bird Rates
Canada’s leading climate adaptation framework is refreshed with new approaches, activities, tools, and guidance.
Join us in Toronto, September 22-24, for Adaptation Canada 2026. Register by April 15 to save $350 and join Canada’s national conversation on climate adaptation. With over 1,000 delegates, 300 speakers, and 60+ sessions, the conference brings together leaders and practitioners to share solutions and advance climate resilience in all sectors and regions.
Next ICLEI Peer Network Meeting: Indigenous-municipal partnerships and local climate action
Supporting Indigenous leadership and advancing reconciliation are essential to building resilient, net-zero communities. Join our next Network meeting on Wednesday, June 24, from 1:00 to 2:00 pm EDT to explore practical lessons, relationship-building approaches, and opportunities to deepen collaboration in ways that support Indigenous leadership and strengthen local climate outcomes.
From Our Partners
Canadian Institute of Planners Webinar
Join Ewa Jackson online, April 29 at 12:00 pm EDT, for an interactive webinar hosted by the Canadian Institute of Planners and moderated by Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada to learn more about the latest Climate Insight feature and gain actionable insights to strengthen your community’s resilience and sustainability.
CNAM 2026 National Conference
Join Joshua Kelly at the 2026 Canadian Network of Asset Managers (CNAM) National Conference in St. John’s, NL, May 4-7 in the Climate Insight: Actionable Data for Low-carbon, Resilient Community Infrastructure session.
The Evergreen Conference 2026
Join Ewa Jackson at the Evergreen Conference 2026 in Toronto, ON, May 6-7 in the Adapting our cities: Climate resilience and thriving communities session.
ClimateWest 2026 Forum
Sheri Young will be at the ClimateWest 2026 Forum in Winnipeg, MB, May 12-13, to showcase Climate Insight’s latest features. If you are there in person, come find us in the Exhibitor Space to say hello!
ClimAtlantic Adaptation Conference
Team members from the Ontario Resource Centre for Climate Adaptation (ORCCA) and Climate Insight will be at the ClimAtlantic Adaptation Conference in Halifax, NS, May 27-28. Come by our booth to say hi, join Aynsley Klassen in the Integrating a Health Equity Lens Into Municipal Climate Adaptation Planning and Action session, and join Sheri Young and Adrienne Kotler for a Data and Tools Showcase.
Kingston Climate Summit
The Kingston Climate Summit is back for 2026! Together with the City of Kingston and Sustainable Kingston, we will gather climate leaders, advocates, scholars, and enthusiasts in Kingston, ON, June 3 and 4, for two amazing days dedicated to climate collaboration, innovation, and community-based solutions. Registration is now open.
In Case You Missed It
Watch the Replay: Benefits of building homes for energy performance
Building new, affordable housing can present a unique opportunity for local economic development, especially if developments are focused on sustainability, community, and building energy performance. Watch this replay to discover how Total Cost of Building Ownership (TCBO) analysis can be used to assess short vs. long-term benefits of various new development options.
Article: Climate budgeting is putting Canadian municipalities on the path to a cleaner future
The Municipal Net‑Zero Action Research Partnership (N-ZAP) Climate Budgeting Guide was created to support Canadian municipalities and local governments in their climate budgeting journey. Read this Environment Journal article to learn how it is being used across Canada.
Project and Program Updates
Adaptation Canada 2026
Adaptation Canada will convene over 1,000 leaders from across sectors and regions in Toronto, September 22–24, 2026.
With over 300 speakers, and 60+ sessions announced to date, Adaptation Canada 2026 brings together leaders and practitioners to advance climate resilience in all sectors and regions. We are looking forward to speaking and facilitating several sessions. Join us this September to bring your perspectives, insights, questions, and solutions to Canada’s national conversation on climate adaptation.
Adaptation Implementation Training Initiative
Together with 32 participants, we are making great progress towards the successful implementation of adaptation actions in communities across Canada.
The year began with a full-cohort workshop on designing adaptation actions through a multisolving lens before each Knowledge Stream moved into a tailored capacity-building series covering audience and partnerships, governance best practices, and the cost of doing nothing. Complemented by one-on-one coaching, these sessions continue to equip participants with the tools, networks, and confidence to advance their adaptation initiatives.
Building Adaptive and Resilient Communities (BARC)
BARC is a proven climate adaptation framework for local action. Developed by ICLEI Canada with and for Canadian communities, it provides a clear, flexible five-milestone methodology to build adaptive and resilient communities in a changing climate.
Recognized as Canada’s go-to adaptation program, BARC drives climate resilience from early planning through to implementation and monitoring. BARC has guided hundreds of municipalities, Indigenous governments, and regional collaborations across every province and territory. What makes BARC unique is its flexibility—it meets communities where they are, whether just beginning, struggling to implement, or ready to update an existing plan.
Building to Net-Zero (BNZ)
BNZ is a training and capacity-building project that supports municipalities on the path to higher-performance buildings.
Over the last year, we have supported local knowledge building for a cohort of small to mid-sized municipalities, including energy and emissions inventories focused on community buildings. Most significantly, they are producing robust business cases that examine capital and operational costs, local market context and health benefits of high-performance buildings. Moving forward, cohort members are beginning training, and we are working with them to create resources that will help them reach goals that fit their local context.
Climate Insight
Climate Insight is the go-to destination for communities to find the tools and data they need to advance low-carbon, resilient housing and infrastructure.
Since it launched in fall 2024, Climate Insight has been continously evolving to meet user needs. Its newest features, including a Climate-Smart Home Explorer and an update to the platform’s risk assessment tool, will launch at the end of April 2026. Stay tuned, and in the meantime, fill in the platform’s user survey to help shape Climate Insight.
Coastal Climate Resilience Collaborative
Together with project partners and Advisory Group members, grant applications are being prepared to implement climate-resilient projects across the Pacific North Shore and Sunshine Coast.
Partners continued to strengthen relationships within the group, drawing on one another’s local initiatives as a source of shared learning and as models to scale and replicate across the region. Through ongoing discussions with partners, we have identified some of the barriers to funding collaborative climate resilience projects and are exploring ways to navigate these challenges collectively as we head into 2026.
Economic Tools to Advance Adaptation
Municipalities are working alongside stakeholders and industry experts to apply innovative economic tools and instruments, driving meaningful progress in climate adaptation.
We are now working with municipalities to develop Cost of Doing Nothing (CODN) reports to quantify the risks of inaction across their top climate hazards. In parallel, municipal fiscal tools are being analyzed through an adaptation lens, laying the groundwork to develop a resource that will catalogue fiscal tools that can advance adaptation, which set to launch at Adaptation Canada in September 2026.
Net-Zero Action Partnership (N-ZAP)
N-ZAP supports Canadian municipalities in monitoring, measuring, and achieving their GHG mitigation goals.
Five N-ZAP working groups are collaborating on distinct objectives and sharing findings from research activities, including the Climate Budgeting Guide and Community Partnerships for Equitable Local Climate Action resources that were launched last year. N-ZAP is currently finalizing an advanced technical guide for climate-related financial disclosure, and testing learning tools and gather feedback. Interested communities are invited to become pilot communities and contribute to N-ZAP’s groundbreaking research by downloading the guides and providing feedback on the resources.
Ontario Resource Centre for Climate Adaptation (ORCCA)
ORCCA helps communities across Ontario access and use climate information in decision-making and build local resilience.
Through our free Support Desk, we provide tailored, one-on-one support. From understanding climate data to advancing planning and implementing actions, we provide practical support every step of the way. Connect with us to access support, and stay tuned for upcoming tools and opportunities tailored to Ontario users.
Partners for Climate Protection Program
The Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) program consists of a five-step Milestone Framework that guides municipalities to take action against climate change by reducing emissions.
Among many resources and supports, PCP Members have access to monthly, online Community of Practice calls to learn and share knowledge across different areas of climate action. This year, we will discuss carbon markets, energy efficiency in heritage buildings, planning for thermal energy networks, public-private partnerships, climate communications, and more.
Who Benefits, Who Pays
The project aims to understand and determine who benefits from investment in climate adaptation infrastructure and how this can guide financial frameworks to mobilize public and private capital.
With research and distributional analysis nearing completion, the project is entering an exciting new phase with the development of municipal case studies and a comprehensive technical report. Stay tuned for findings that bring the real costs and benefits of resilient infrastructure to life across three municipalities with a focus on flood risk.
Welcome to the Team!
Rena Viehbeck, Natural Assets Manager
Rena brings 16 years of experience supporting municipalities in advancing practical, nature-based climate solutions to her new role on the ICLEI Canada team. Rena has worked extensively with municipalities across Canada and has a background that spans climate change adaptation and mitigation, urban forestry, and environmental education. As Natural Assets Manager, she leads initiatives that help communities integrate nature-based solutions and biodiversity considerations into asset management planning and implementation to help communities implement actions that strengthen long-term resilience and sustainability.
Aryane Plante, Climate Change Project Officer
As Climate Change Project Officer with ICLEI Canada’s Québec office, Aryane contributes to the co‑development of municipal climate plans, with a particular focus on adaptation and resilience. She contributes to vulnerability and risk assessments, the development of municipal greenhouse gas inventories, and the preparation of technical reports and supporting documents. Aryane is trained in law, holds a Master’s degree in Environment, and was previously an all-star intern at ICLEI Canada.
Laurence Turchyn, Climate Change Project Assistant Intern
Laurence supports our Adaptation Team with research, program delivery, and coordination activities to help municipalities strengthen resilience to climate change. Their work contributes to many projects such as the Ontario Resource Centre for Climate Adaptation (ORCCA), the Building Adaptive and Resilient Communities (BARC) program, and engagement activities for events, including Adaptation Canada 2026. Laurence is studying Urban and Regional Planning at Toronto Metropolitan University. They are particularly motivated by work that bridges research and action, and is grounded in lived experience.
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Toronto, ON M5V 3A8
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Q&A with the Team Behind Climate Insight
Discover how others are using the platform, how it has evolved since 2024, and what new features we are working on.
Climate Insight is a free, online platform that empowers communities across Canada with the data and information needed to build low-carbon, resilient housing and infrastructure. Its functionality, features, and content are continuously updated to better serve communities as they confront the growing challenges of climate change.
In light of Climate Insight’s most recent update, which launched on April 29, 2026, ICLEI Canada’s Managing, Engineering, and Project Directors share their thoughts on Climate Insight, its features and its future.
Sheri and Josh, you have both worked for municipal governments. If you had access to Climate Insight while you were in those roles, what features would you have used most?
Sheri Young, Project Director, Climate Insight (SY): Most often? The Solutions Finder. I would run every permit request through the Solutions Finder and attach the results to every application. I would actually also do that with the Rapid Risk Assessment (RRA) tool. Both of these tools can initiate discussions and provide background support for any project at any stage, whether it’s prioritizing projects, building a business case, or looking for ways to add resilience to existing infrastructure.
Joshua Kelly, Engineering Director, Climate Insight (JK): For me, it would be the map and the RRA tool. I used to work to integrate climate considerations into the community’s asset management systems. The climate and social vulnerability data available on Climate Insight’s map provide valuable tools to inform and support asset-related decisions. To take this one step further, our asset management systems were also increasingly considering risk, and I would have used the RRA as a low-barrier access point to complete climate risk assessments for community infrastructure internally, without the need to allocate resources to bring in external consultants.
“If I were still working at the Town of Okotoks, I would use Climate Insight to run every permit request through the Solutions Finder, and attach the results to every application.”
— Sheri Young, Project Director
Nearly two years into Climate Insight, how are communities using the platform?
Ewa Jackson, Managing Director, ICLEI Canada (EJ): We built Climate Insight to help fill capacity gaps so that all Canadian communities can realize their ambitions. The good news is that we’re seeing that this is already happening.
For example, the Town of New Glasgow, NS used the Climate Insight map to layer climate, infrastructure, and social vulnerability data to help choose sites for new Resilience Hubs. The map makes it possible to look at complex systems without having to tap a huge number of experts.
The RRA tool is another great example of this. It takes a few hours to complete, and produces a more detailed assessment than other free tools, without requiring months of work and resources. It can be filled in by anyone who is knowledgeable about their community—not just engineers or technical experts. The City of Winnipeg, MB had staff across departments use the RRA to help move through planning more efficiently, identify where to focus resources, and to spark discussions around climate early in project processes.
One more example: a municipal practitioner in Quebec told us they use Climate Insight both to validate their work and to demonstrate proof of concept. They use the Solutions Finder, for example, to get ranked options, and use that ranking to let their Council know which solutions are worth investing in.
“We built Climate Insight to help fill capacity gaps so that all Canadian communities can realize their ambitions, and we’re seeing that this is already happening.”
— Ewa Jackson, Managing Director
Protecting new and existing critical infrastructure from the impact of climate change is a priority for communities across Canada. What is a Climate Insight tool or feature that can be used to do this?
JK: If I had to pick one tool, I would say the Solutions Finder. The Solutions Finder can help move from identifying critical infrastructure and planning for climate impacts to actually finding solutions tailored to a specific project and set of requirements.
Beyond a single feature, I’d also recommend using Climate Insight as a starting point as you begin identifying climate risks to your critical infrastructure and planning for those risks. You can start with the map and Community Profiles to get a snapshot of local socio-economic, infrastructure and climate data, and of the likelihood of experiencing different climate hazards in your community. Then, complete a risk assessment for your infrastructure project using the RRA tool. You will end up with valuable information that can support decision-making and help you find solid infrastructure options through the Solutions Finder.
“Climate Insight can be used as a starting point if you are beginning the process of identifying climate risks to critical infrastructure, assessing those risks, and finding solutions.”
— Josh Kelly, Engineering Director
For users specifically interested in using Climate Insight to support housing projects, where is a good place to start?
JK: Short answer, anywhere. There is data and information throughout Climate Insight to support housing projects regardless of whether you are starting from a place of climate action, development, or supporting infrastructure.
EJ: That’s right—there are so many great housing resources on the platform. I’d say that homeowners, developers, and organizations supporting them can start with the Climate-Smart Home Explorer. Municipalities might want to begin with the library’s housing filter to find housing-supportive infrastructure options, case studies, tools, as well as codes, standards and guidelines. And the Solutions Finder is a good first stop for anyone. My biggest advice is to check back often because we are constantly adding and updating all of these housing resources.
Climate Insight is constantly evolving to meet its users’ needs. Since it launched in the fall of 2024, new features have been added every six months, and new content is updated monthly. Why do you think these updates are so important?
SY: Local governments are dealing with aging infrastructure and changing populations—not to mention limited budgets—which means doing more with less in an ever-changing landscape. Climate Insight’s regular updates and enhancements ensure you can always access the most up-to-date resources and tools to increase the resilience and reduce emissions of the infrastructure your communities depend on. Plus, local leaders and practitioners are speaking to us as they use the platform. This means that we can be responsive in our updates, reflecting your ideas and needs in the platform as it evolves.
“Local leaders and practitioners are speaking to us as they use the platform. This means that we can be responsive in our updates, reflecting their ideas and needs in the platform as it evolves.”
— Sheri Young, Project Director
What is an upcoming feature you are particularly excited about?
EJ: It’s really exciting to work on a platform that constantly evolves. It means we can publish tools as soon as they’re helpful to you, and then can keep updating and adding to them over time to make them better and better.
We’ve got a great new costing tool that we’re about to release alongside the Climate-Smart Home Explorer, which compares home improvement options’ costs at build with occupant savings or avoided costs. In other words, the Climate-Smart Home Explorer will soon become even more useable! I’m also looking forward to a map update, which will add more layers and new analytical capabilities that include things like per capita and benchmarking information.
JK: Being an engineer and having worked with map-based data tools, I am most excited about upcoming enhancements to the map, as well as the Community Profiles. We started Climate Insight with a relatively simplistic map interface, which has put some constraints on our bolder ideas for mapping spatial and community-related data. We are working on exciting new enhancements to the map that will allow us to support more data, more analyses, and make Climate Insight’s place-based tools even more useful.
SY: I am very excited about expanding our content on equity across the platform. I don’t want to give away too much, as we are still very much in the planning stages. But, I can say that we are looking into developing a very cool new feature that will make it easier to identify how and when equity considerations can be integrated into your infrastructure projects, to ensure a low-carbon, resilient future for all. And in the meantime, I also can’t wait to play with a new land use planning tool coming in September to compare the impacts of different types of neighbourhood density and home types.
Q&A with the Team Behind Climate Insight
Discover how others are using the platform, how it has evolved since 2024, and what new features we are working on.
Climate Insight is a free, online platform that empowers communities across Canada with the data and information needed to build low-carbon, resilient housing and infrastructure. Its functionality, features, and content are continuously updated to better serve communities as they confront the growing challenges of climate change.
In light of Climate Insight’s most recent update, which launched on April 29, 2026, ICLEI Canada’s Managing, Engineering, and Project Directors share their thoughts on Climate Insight, its features and its future.
Sheri and Josh, you have both worked for municipal governments. If you had access to Climate Insight while you were in those roles, what features would you have used most?
Sheri Young, Project Director, Climate Insight (SY): Most often? The Solutions Finder. I would run every permit request through the Solutions Finder and attach the results to every application. I would actually also do that with the Rapid Risk Assessment (RRA) tool. Both of these tools can initiate discussions and provide background support for any project at any stage, whether it’s prioritizing projects, building a business case, or looking for ways to add resilience to existing infrastructure.
Joshua Kelly, Engineering Director, Climate Insight (JK): For me, it would be the map and the RRA tool. I used to work to integrate climate considerations into the community’s asset management systems. The climate and social vulnerability data available on Climate Insight’s map provide valuable tools to inform and support asset-related decisions. To take this one step further, our asset management systems were also increasingly considering risk, and I would have used the RRA as a low-barrier access point to complete climate risk assessments for community infrastructure internally, without the need to allocate resources to bring in external consultants.
“If I were still working at the Town of Okotoks, I would use Climate Insight to run every permit request through the Solutions Finder, and attach the results to every application.”
— Sheri Young, Project Director
Nearly two years into Climate Insight, how are communities using the platform?
Ewa Jackson, Managing Director, ICLEI Canada (EJ): We built Climate Insight to help fill capacity gaps so that all Canadian communities can realize their ambitions. The good news is that we’re seeing that this is already happening.