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GCOM Canada Implementation Cohort

GCOM Canada Implementation Cohort

A collaboration cohort to support the implementation of bold climate mitigation and adaptation plans.

Bridging the gap between planning and implementation is a formidable but necessary step in realizing our climate targets and securing a low-carbon, resilient future. The Global Covenant of Mayors (GCOM) Canada Implementation Cohort tackled this challenge by providing implementation support to municipal staff through one-to-one meetings, group trainings, and peer-to-peer workshops and tailored deliverables. By working together, we identified implementation challenges and devised strategies to tackle them head-on.

About the Canada Implementation Cohort

Convened by ICLEI Canada and financed by the European Union, the GCOM Canada Implementation Cohort was a training and collaboration program designed to support municipal staff in the implementation phase of their climate mitigation and/or adaptation efforts. Virtual collaborations took place from September 2023 until November 2024. As one of the cohort activities, the participants also convened in person on the occasion of GCOM’s Innovate4Cities Conference in Montreal.  

Participating municipalities

  • St. John’s (NL) 
  • Halifax (NS) 
  • Fredericton (NB) 
  • Laval (QC) 
  • Beaconsfield (QC) 
  • Ottawa (ON) 
  • Durham (ON) 
  • Mississauga (ON)
  • Hamilton (ON)
  • St. Catharines (ON) 
  • Guelph (ON) 
  • Windsor (ON) 
  • Huron-Kinloss (ON) 
  • Saskatoon (SK) 

A Unique Collaboration

During the cohort activities, each participating municipality worked with ICLEI Canada to identify a challenge they were facing in the implementation of their climate mitigation and/or adaptation action and developed a strategy to tackle their challenge. These were grouped into the four theme areas of mitigation, adaptation and performance indicators, stakeholder engagement, and climate budgeting.

While each municipality had challenges unique to their specific circumstances, municipalities had the opportunity to collaborate and exchange ideas on common challenges and emerging sustainability topics through the cohort. For example, municipalities working on adaptation and performance indicators discussed how to identify key indicators to track adaptation efforts while municipalities working on climate budgeting had discussed how to track climate investments. All cohort municipalities exchanged ideas on emerging themes such as meeting reporting requirements, reducing energy poverty, and financing climate action.

Ongoing Support for Implementation

Equipped with tailored cohort deliverables and insights gained through cohort collaboration activities, participating municipalities will continue their implementation journey to advance their sustainability progress and tackle challenges along the way. For example, some municipalities will continue to identify the best methods to track their sustainability efforts and performance, some will use the strategies developed in the cohort to engage with internal and external stakeholders, and others will continue to refine how they track investments in climate actions.

About GCOM

The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy is an international alliance of cities and local governments with a shared vision to promote and support voluntary action to combat climate change and move towards an inclusive, just, low-emissions, and resilient society. In Canada, GCOM is a collaboration between the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, ICLEI Canada, C40 Cities, Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) and the Global Covenant of Mayors Secretariat supported by funding from the European Union. Visit the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy Canada’s website to learn more. 

What People Have to Say About the Cohort

Several participants and leads shared reflections about their involvement in the GCOM Canada Implementation cohort while they were in Montreal for the Innovate4Cities Conference in September 2024. Watch videos shared on LinkedIn by the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy in Canada to hear what they had to say and learn more about the impact this collaboration had across Canadian municipalities. 

 

Dominique Bastien, Environmental Advisor, City of Laval

Ian McVey, Manager of Sustainability, Regional Municipality of Durham

Shannon Miedema, Director, Environment & Climate Change, Halifax Regional Municipality

Matthew Regier, Environmental Coordinator, City of Saskatoon

Michael Wodzicki, GCOM North America Advisor and Megan Meaney, Executive Director, ICLEI Canada

The GCOM Canada Implementation Cohort was convened by ICLEI Canada and financed by the European Union.  

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We respectfully acknowledge that ICLEI Canada’s work happens across Turtle Island which has traditionally been and is home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples since time immemorial.

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