2024Completion Year
$78,500Project Cost
$78,500MCCAC Funding
Overview
The Town of Lamont received $78,500 in grant proceeds for the completion of a Climate Change Adaptation & Resilience Plan (CCARP).
The goal of the CCARP is to support the Town in making meaningful progress on identification, understanding, and prioritizing plans to address climate risks and vulnerabilities.
This project was funded by the Government of Alberta, through the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre’s Climate Resilience Capacity Building Program.
Approach
The Town of Lamont is located northeast of Edmonton, with a population of 1,750 people.
Following past experiences with flooding issues, the Town initiated this Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Plan to further understand climate projections, how they will impact Lamont, and what measures can be implemented to mitigate risk.
This project integrated internal capacity-building through training for staff and convening staff in working sessions to support the development of the plan. In-depth staff engagement included a What We Heard meeting to collect information about how Lamont’s assets have been impact by climate events, multiple staff engagement sessions, and a staff review session.
Through staff engagement and review of the existing facilities the following key asset categories and elements were identified for the risk assessment: the environment, human health, culture/daily life, stormwater systems, wastewater collection systems, water systems, community buildings, residential homes, transportation systems, commercial buildings, and the local economy.
Results
The Plan identifies seven hazards posing risks to the Town’s assets, with wildfire, extreme heat, drought, and extreme rainfall posing the greatest risk.
Wildfire was found to be greatest risk, largely due to the Town’s limited adaptation measures in place for wildfire in combination with its damaging effects.
The project team had a strong focus on flooding, given the number of flooding events over the last 15 years. However, the numerous operational changes and infrastructure investments already undertaken by the Town have had a positive impact, resulting in a lower risk score than expected.
The Plan provides 37 recommended adaptation actions targeted at high-risk climate hazards, each including the lead department and timelines for action.
Benefits
The education sessions and staff involvement in the project have equipped staff with an understanding of how climate change can potentially impact the community.
The Plan will support the Town in prioritizing actions and investment in the areas most at risk.
Sharing the results of this project with residents will assist in educating the community on climate projections and help them become more climate resilient as it relates to their property and health.
A very in-depth document that will be valuable to the community’s planning and budgeting initiatives.
Dawn Nielsen, Interim Chief Administrative Officer
