Climate Change Adaptation Training for Prairie Region Planners
The Climate Risk Institute (CRI), in partnership with the Canadian Institute of Planners, All One Sky Foundation and Wallace Insights, developed a training program that brings in-depth climate change adaptation and resilience training to the Professional Planning audience in the Prairies Region. Training modules have been customized for Planners across the Prairies presenting regional information on climate change trends and impacts and outlining the policy framework as well as adaptation solutions while integrating communication strategies and approaches throughout. The purpose of the training is to increase planners’ capacity to incorporate climate change adaptation into practice.
The course is offered on an online learning management system platform in collaboration with Royal Roads University. The platform houses all course material and provides opportunities to engage in discussions and knowledge sharing with other participants and instructors. The course is a blend of synchronous sessions (where you will join live Zoom meetings once per week) and asynchronous content where instructors have recorded lecture content and readings that you can complete on your own schedule.
Upcoming Course Offerings
Registration and payment are through our partner website at Royal Roads University. You’ll need to create a Royal Roads account if you don’t have one
View upcoming course offerings
Course Fee:
$795 plus applicable taxes
Fees cover online course instruction and access to course materials through the online learning management system platform. Participants will be provided access to course materials when the course opens on November 13th. This training is intended for individual instruction, not for groups under a single registration
Modules
The course is broken down into five (5) modules, one per week. Each module has a 1.5-hour live (virtual) session as well as recorded video content for participants to view on their own during the week. There will also be short weekly activity as well as course readings (some required, some optional). The course will open on November 13th, 2023. Live sessions will be from 9am-10:30am mountain time; 10am-11:30am central time every Thursday. The dates are listed by week below:
MODULE | Date and Time |
Module 1: Climate Change 101 | November 16th |
Module 2: The Policy Context | November 23rd |
Module 3: Adaptation Planning 1 | November 30th |
Module 4: Adaptation Planning 2 | December 7th |
Module 5: Implementing Climate Adaptation Action | December 14th |
What will you learn?
- How to increase capacity and incorporate climate change adaptation into practice
- Gain a better understanding of the fundamentals of climate change science, data, risk assessment, and adaptation planning
- How to identify climate change adaptation policy applicable to planning
- Knowledge of tools and strategies available to implement climate change adaptation actions
- How to support communication and collaboration around climate change impacts and adaptation planning
- Insights into the ways of increasing community resilience using planning tools, asset management strategies, and nature-based solutions and explore options that present co-benefits for both mitigation and adaptation
Meet the trainers!
Anna Zaytseva, B.A. (Hons), M.Sc, Climate Risk Institute
Anna is an Advisory and Technical Services Liaison of the Climate Risk Institute. She is passionate about sustainable development, climate change adaptation and risk assessment. Her experience includes working on place-based projects studying key drivers of change, modelling alternative future scenarios and researching impacts of climate change and weather extremes on the agricultural sector. Anna has 10 years of experience working with weather, climate and geospatial data in a variety of settings, including government and academia. She is proficient in geospatial and statistical modeling software and has in-depth knowledge of spatial analysis technologies. At the Climate Risk Institute Anna provides support on a number of projects and tools including Climate Change Hazards Information Portal (CRI’s in-house climate data and projections tool), the Ontario Regional Adaptation Collaborative, and Ontario’s Provincial Climate Change Risk Assessment.
Brenda Wallace, RPP MCIP, Principal, Wallace Insights
Brenda Wallace is Principal of Wallace Insights, a Saskatoon-based consultancy specializing in planning, sustainability, public participation, and unique and complex issues facing communities and companies today. She has worked at senior professional and executive levels, with more than 28 years of experience in public, private and non-profit organizations. In addition to her membership in the Canadian Institute of Planners (MCIP) as a Registered Professional Planner (RPP), she is Saskatchewan’s first Certified Public Participation Professional (CP3), recognized by the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2). Brenda is a Professional Associate with the Regional and Urban Planning Program at the University of Saskatchewan. As a lifelong learner herself, Brenda is currently enrolled in the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership Master’s Degree Program at the University of Cambridge, UK.
Jeff Zukiwsky, RPP, MRM, All One Sky Foundation
Jeff is a professional planner specializing in climate adaptation and resilience. For over a decade he has worked with communities and organizations across Canada to help them develop and implement strategies to reduce climate risk and vulnerability and take advantage of climate change opportunities. At the community level, Jeff has worked with over 40 municipalities across the country, supporting climate change risk and vulnerability assessments, adaptation and resilience strategies, and implementation. He has also completed several projects both federally and provincially in Canada, including the development of national policy guidelines for climate change adaptation and water management, and more recently, an assessment of climate change impacts and adaptation for energy sector. Jeff grew up on the Prairies, and currently lives in the Rocky Mountains where he spends is time skiing, mountain biking, paddling rivers and camping with his kids.
Megan Gereghty, MCIP RPP, Climate Risk Institute
Megan Gereghty is a Climate Change Adaptation Planner with the Climate Risk Institute. As a Registered Professional Planner, Megan is passionate about climate change adaptation and resilient community development. Megan has experience and expertise in development, land use and policy planning projects. Her work focuses on the advancement of climate change adaptation training for planners. She holds a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Waterloo as well as a Graduate Diploma in Climate Risk Management from the University of Waterloo. Megan lives in the Region of Waterloo, where she enjoys keeping up with local climate action initiatives and spending time outdoors.
Paul Cobb, B.Eng, Manager of Training, Climate Risk Institute
Paul is the Manager of Training with the Climate Risk Institute. An engineer by training, he has dedicated his career to finding and implementing climate change solutions. Paul has supported climate mitigation and adaptation work across Ontario and Canada for close to 20 years, including a recent role as a regional advisor for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Partners for Climate Protection Program. Paul has led Climate Change Risk Assessments at the local, provincial and territorial levels. He lives and works and is raising his kids in beautiful Northern Ontario.
Adaptation Resource Pathway for Planners (ARPP)
The Climate Risk Institute (CRI), together with our volunteer Resource Pathway Committee members, developed an Adaptation Resource Pathway for Planners (ARPP) in Canada with support from the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP) and funding from Natural Resources Canada.
The ARPP is an interactive document that helps Planners identify resources to increase their knowledge and understanding of climate change adaptation and to help support adaptation action. The easy-to-use tool will support Planners entry into, navigation of, and progression through available reports, videos, guides, networks and training opportunities related to climate change adaptation and planning.