Town of Hinton – Community Climate Risk Assessment  

Overview

The Town of Hinton received $79,500 for the completion of a Community Climate Risk Assessment.  

The Town engaged The Resilience Institute, in partnership with Associated Engineering and the Prairie Adaptation Research Collaborative, to complete the work. 

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 Hinton is a vibrant community with a population under 10,000 residents. As the gateway to Jasper National Park, the community is situated on the Athabasca River which provides a source of potable water and recreation opportunities. 

The Hinton Council and Administration are acutely aware that climate change and its impacts are real. 

This project included an assessment of climate related hazards that directly impact the Town’s boundaries and are within the Town’s control and influence. The assessment considers impacts on the Town and private property, the local economy, health and lifestyle of residents, social equity, natural capital, and impacts to regional economic systems.  

The project team completed interviews with senior staff at the municipality of Hinton over a period of nine months. Indigenous representatives and the Hinton Youth Council also contributed their perspectives with respect to the top 2 climate vulnerabilities.  

Results

The Climate Risk Assessment identified 15 Hinton-wide climate vulnerabilities. The most significant shifts in likelihood are for extreme heat, wildfires, wildfire smoke, and freezing rain. The assessment finds that an emergency wildfire event would exceed Hinton’s current capacity to respond to the emergency, putting the community at risk.  

The Assessment outlines actions across natural, built, and social systems that the Town can implement to build climate resilience.  

Actions range from conserving water, improving communication with residents and stakeholders, reviewing existing plans, developing new procedures, and upgrading infrastructure.  

Next steps for the Town to consider include developing a Climate Adaptation Action Plan that includes initial and longer-term actions to address the highest risks, completed collaboratively with local government staff, community organizations, knowledge holders, and residents. 

An action plan will support the Town to prioritize the adaptation strategies that generate co-benefits and can be incorporated into existing processes and funding sources.  

Implementation planning should include clear targets, roles and responsibilities for each action, and identify the existing initiatives and resources that best drive each action.  

Collaboration with community groups such as the Hinton Friendship Society and the Hinton Youth Advisory Council can ensure that activities lead to inclusive, community-relevant, and multi-valued climate actions. 

Benefits 

Through this project, the Town has gained valuable information and data on climate to ensure that current and future practices take into account climate vulnerabilities. 

This project represents a positive step for the municipality and will set up the Town of Hinton to be more climate aware and adapt accordingly.  

“The exercise of undertaking a climate risk assessment is a needful exercise and will set up the community to be ready and proactive to avert a possible catastrophe when it comes to readiness and having coping mechanisms in place to protect the community and the environment.”  

Debbi Weber, Strategic Projects Facilitator