COVID-19 has upended life across Canada, and around the world. More than ever, the well-being of Canada’s communities – both urban and rural – will be completely dependent on their resilience: their capacity to anticipate, adapt and respond to challenges posed by sudden shocks and chronic stresses.

Challenges and Opportunities

COVID-19 has exacerbated the pre-existing and often enormous challenges faced by Canada’s cities and towns. In addition to the challenges of COVID-19, Canadian communities are preparing for a changing climate, identifying and addressing chronic inequality, and managing aging infrastructure. All of this in an environment where the cost of addressing such resilience challenges far exceeds the resources available through public sector budgets.

The 2020 Livable Cities Forum offered a platform and venue through which to come together to discuss and workshop how to advance our work on climate change, while building resilience into our communities. Bringing together municipal practitioners, elected officials, resilience thinkers, and community experts, the Forum offered both keynote presentations and breakout sessions where, using a digital delivery format, participants were able to work through challenges and ideate solutions to these wicked problems.