The next edition of the Ottawa Report is scheduled to be sent Monday, June 10.
Latest News
Government of Canada Releases Climate Science Report
On May 30, Environment and Climate Change Canada the . This is “a comprehensive report that gives clarity and direction to the science resources required to address climate change. The Report identifies priority science and knowledge activities that Canada needs to pursue to meet the climate targets and adaptation goals identified in the Progress Report on the 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan and the National Adaptation Strategy.” Input from the provinces and territories include the need to:
- predict climate change on a local scale, and understand impacts for infrastructure, health, safety, culture, and heritage
- improve monitoring; data collection; research on climate, risks, hazards, and opportunities; research to support vulnerability and risk assessments; and metrics, monitoring, and evaluation of interventions—in particular, in fisheries, forestry, agriculture, biodiversity, and ecosystems
- improve prediction of climate extremes and extreme weather events
- project climate impacts on water demand, supply, and management
- develop hydrological, flood, and coastal hazard maps for planning, navigation, and emergency response
- develop projections, observations, data, and indicators to inform nature-based solutions and management of land, waters, wildlife, and ecosystems
- co-develop information for mitigation, adaptation, and planning tools that municipalities, communities, local stakeholders, emergency management personnel, urban planners, engineers, and others can use to respond to climate change
- develop integrated assessment tools, which factor climate change into policy as well as financial and economic planning
CPWA Meets with Member of Parliament (MP) Jenica Atwin
On May 16, New Brunswick-based CPWA board member Mike Walker and ˾ President Gary Losier met with Fredericton MP Jenica Atwin to discuss CPWA’s policy priorities and build a relationship with the local MP. Atwin underscored her view that water and wastewater is a big piece of the new 2024 budget funding for municipalities and welcomed input for a better understanding on cost issues.
Parliamentary Business
Budget Bills Making Progress in Parliament
The Fall Economic Statement Implementation Act 2023, , cleared report stage in the House of Commons on May 21 and has already had some debate at third reading. With the Senate having completed its committee pre-study and even begun pre-study in the chamber, the bill is likely to receive royal assent before the summer recess.
The Budget Implementation Act 2024, , completed second reading in the House and was passed to committee on May 22 with a vote of support from the Liberals and the New Democratic Party. Both the Conservatives and the Bloc Québécois voted against. The House Finance Committee can be expected to focus steadily on this bill over the next weeks to try to get it passed before the summer. The Senate, meanwhile, began pre-study of the bill in the chamber and in committee to speed its way.
Federal Funding Awarded
Rural Transit Funding in Nova Scotia
Queens County Transit in Nova Scotia has expanded their fleet after a combined investment of . They have purchased two new hybrid vehicles to provide on-demand transit services to help people get around the community.
Flood Protection in British Columbia
Surrey is ensuring that homes and farms are safe from flooding along a vulnerable segment of the Nicomekl River dike after a combined investment of more than . This project will replace three aging sets of culverts, upgrade two spillways that control the release of flood water, and reinforce the dike height to help prevent waves from flowing back up the dike. Once completed, the project will help protect more than one kilometre of Highway 15—a regional link to the Pacific Highway border crossing—more than 40 buildings, including homes and barns, over 400 hectares of agricultural lands, portions of 48th Avenue and 184th Street, and 500 metres of the provincial Roberts Bank Railway corridor.
