Climate Change Workshop Series

Climate change has had and will continue to have significant impacts on communities across Newfoundland and Labrador. Planning for these impacts is daunting, but necessary. This interactive workshop series aims to bring together municipal and provincial staff and elected officials, engineers, planners, and other professionals, academics and interested individuals, to facilitate effective communication and collaboration across disciplines. We must all be on the same page to build the resilient, low-carbon future that we need.

This virtual workshop series is part of the ongoing BRACE initiative funded by Natural Resources Canada (Building Regional Adaptive Capacity and Expertise). BRACE project partners include Memorial University, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Professional Engineers and Geoscientists NL, Engineers Canada, Municipalities NL, and the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Professional Planners. Fundamental Inc. was engaged to assist with the development and delivery of this workshop series. The workshop content has been informed by a series of surveys conducted throughout 2022.

Session 1:

This is the recording of Session 1 of the BRACE virtual workshop series which took place on Monday, Nov. 28th. Topics covered include: Municipal Liabilities and Responsibilities with respect to Climate Change, Climate Data for Decision Makers, and information about the background of this project and the plan for the remaining workshop sessions.

Supporting documents

Workshop intentions and goals – Ashley Smith

Risk, Responsibility, Liability – Tina Northup ECEL

Climate Data for Decision Makers – Dr. Joel Finnis

Climate Risk, Responsibility, and Liability for Municipalities: Exploring Municipalities’ Responsibilities to Consider, Manage, and Disclose Climate Change Flood Risks

Climate Risk, Responsibility, and Liability for Municipalities: Exploring Municipalities’ Responsibilities to Consider, Manage, and Disclose Climate Change Flood Risks – key messages summary


Session 2:

This is the recording of Session 2 of the BRACE virtual workshop series which took place on Tuesday, Nov. 29th. Today was focused on community climate vulnerability assessments. A short presentation was provided at the beginning and then participants were sent to breakout rooms for discussion which were not recorded. The ‘report back’ from each group is included in this recording.

Supporting documents

Climate vulnerability assessments

BRACE additional supports

Fictional town map – unmarked

Fictional town map – marked

Vulnerabilities Summary as Miro board

Miro Board activity template – risk matrix


Session 3:

This is the recording of Session 3 of the BRACE virtual workshop series which took place on Wednesday, Nov. 30th. Today was focused on engineering solutions to climate vulnerabilities in communities. A short presentation was provided at the beginning and then participants were sent to breakout rooms for discussion which were not recorded. The ‘report back’ from each group is included in this recording.

Supporting Documents

Engineering approaches and limitiations

Miro Board activity template – Engineering Solutions

Additional supports for engineering solutions


Session 4:

This is the recording of Session 4 of the BRACE virtual workshop series which took place on Thursday, Dec. 1st. Today was focused on planning and policy solutions to climate vulnerabilities in communities. A short presentation was provided at the beginning and then participants were sent to breakout rooms for discussion which were not recorded. The ‘report back’ from each group is included in this recording.

Supporting Documents

Planning, policy making, and eco-asset management

Additional Supports for policy and planning

Miro Board activity template


Session 5:

This is the recording of the final session, Session 5, of the BRACE virtual workshop series which took place on Friday, Dec. 2nd, 2022. Today we summarized the outcomes of the week, discussed paths forward including how to prioritize actions and access funding, and we went over some recent news in the climate adaptation space in Canada.

To conclude the series, we had a question and answer period with all workshop presenters and guests. This discussion covered many topics including: watershed modelling and regional planning approaches; specific legal concerns surrounding the relationship between municipal re-zoning initiatives and private property owners; and the challenges of effectively communicating about climate change and processing the emotions that come along with it.

Supporting Documents

Prioritizing, funding, and public engagement

Flood insurance plus series recap