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- Posted by Beckett Elliott
The NBEN contracted Narrative Research, an Atlantic Canada-based public polling firm, to conduct the public polling. The survey was fielded in the last two weeks of February and received 663 responses. A full report of analysis was received from Narrative Research in mid-March and preliminary results were shared through the stakeholder workshops. The full results are available here.
We held a webinar to share the results of the survey in depth on May 17th, 2023, the recording of which is available here. We also shared the re
sults through presentations to the Union of Municipalities of New Brunswick, the New Brunswick Development Officers Association, and through CLIMAtlantic.
We also conducted outreach to the media to communicate the results of the public polling to the public and decision-makers and received cover
ed on CBC, Radio-Canada, L’Acadie Nouvelle, and Acadia Broadcasting including 97.3 The WAVE (Saint John), Country 94 (Saint John), and 98.1 Charlotte County, 91.9 The Bend (Moncton).- Details
- Posted by Lily Barraclough
*This was a webinar series hosted in 2023, stay tuned for upcoming webinars in 2024.
Climate change is here, it is happening, and it is impacting New Brunswickers across the province and other Atlantic Canada residents. Nature-based and natural approaches to adapting to climate change focus on implementing infrastructure that restores and protects natural areas while removing greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere, reducing flooding and stormwater surge risks, and supporting biodiversity.
There is interest and support for nature-based climate solutions from residents (see public survey of opinion results here) and there are many examples of successful projects across the region (see maps of case studies here). Municipalities, community organizations, and landowners, however, face many barriers and challenges to developing their own nature-based projects including access to funding, materials, knowledgeable contractors, native plants, and more.
Join the NBEN, CLIMAtlantic, and Nature NB for a seven-part webinar and discussion series throughout June and early July where we will hear from communities across the Atlantic Provinces who have implemented nature-based infrastructure. Let's learn from their experience to understand the challenges they encountered in the process, how they overcame those challenges, where they accessed the funds and resources, and what the results/successes of the projects have been. There will be opportunities to ask speakers your pressing questions and receive input and advice to surpass the challenges you might be facing in your communities.
The schedule of webinars was as follows:
1. June 1st 1-2pm Dune Restoaration with speakers Marion Tétégan Simon from VALORĒS Research Institute and Project Adaptation and Julie Cormier from Vision H2O.
2. June 7th 12-1 pm Rain garden and bioswale development with speakers Jolyne Hébert from the Shediac Bay Watershed Association and Roxanne MacKinnon with ACAP Saint John. *English with French interpretation
3. June 14th from 12-1pm Mapping natural assets & management in the face of climate change impacts with speakers Dodick Gasser from CCNB-INOV and Alistair Ozon from the City of Charlottetown, PEI. *bilingual with interpretation
4. June 22nd from 12-1 pm Hybrid infrastructure approaches to climate solutions with speakers Kelly Umlah from Transcoastal Adaptations at Saint Mary's University, and Amanda Marlin from EOS Eco-Energy. *English with French interpretation
5. July 4th from 12-1 pm Living shorelines approaches to climate adaptation with Madeleine Crowell from the Town of Stratford, PEI and Lauren Clark from the Town of Mahone Bay, NS. *English with French Interpretation
6. July 17th from 12-1pm Wetland restoration and naturalized-stormwater retention ponds with Serge Dupuis from the Université de Moncton and Jamie Burke, former CAO of the Town of Sackville (led by Nature NB) *bilingual with interpretation
7. November 8th from 12-1pm Protected areas as a nature-based climate solution with Roberta Clowater and Melanie Jellett from the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society - NB Chapter.
Recordings of all webinars can be found here:
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- Posted by Zaheera Denath
Supporting Climate Risk Mitigation for Municipalities with Nature-Based Infrastructure: Research and Knowledge Initiative
Nature-based climate solutions have been a focus of the NBEN through the climate adaptation and mitigation lens for many years. We have supported member organizations in implementing projects throughout the province and training and capacity-building opportunities for engineers, planners, and decision-makers through the Building Regional Adaptation Capacity and Expertise (BRACE) program. While the knowledge of and scientific support for nature-based climate solutions is vast and growing, the uptake of implementation has been slow. Through our work with the BRACE project, we identified this as a gap, particularly at the local government level. There are provincial and federal commitments to using nature-based infrastructure and projects as a part of the solution to mitigating and adapting to climate change, however, the local governments who are often the ones to implement such projects lack the capacity to do so. This is increasingly important as many rural and coastal communities in New Brunswick are subject to the worst impacts of the climate crisis, and could benefit the most from the use of nature-based solutions but may lack the resources to pursue them. The RKI project aims to develop tools and training for municipalities to support the decision-making process toward the implementation of nature-based climate solutions.
What are Nature-Based Climate Solutions?
Nature-based and natural approaches to adapting to climate change focus on implementing infrastructure that restores and protects natural areas while removing greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere, reducing flooding and stormwater surge risks, and supporting biodiversity. Although nature-based climate solutions are well supported by scientists and the environmental sector, their uptake on a local level has been slow due to a lack of capacity and resources. The New Brunswick Government’s 2022 Climate Action Plan commits to increasing awareness of climate change risks and supporting preparedness as well as developing nature-based solutions to increase resilience and maintain biodiversity. New Brunswick is home to many small and rural communities that face high risks like flooding, storm surges, and erosion due to climate change but have little access to resources and capacity and, as such, work needs to be done to support capacity and skill building for local governments on the implementation of nature-based climate solutions.
Supporting Municipalities through the Research and Knowledge Initiative
The aim is to provide municipal staff and elected officials with the information, resources, tools, and training to be able to make informed decisions on the most effective solutions for their communities. In many cases, nature-based climate solutions are more cost-effective, provide more benefits to the community and the overall health and well-being of the natural environment, and are effective at managing the effects of climate change-threatening communities in New Brunswick. Through the past work on the BRACE project, an online Community of Practice on natural and nature-based infrastructure was created that provides an opportunity for the sharing of resources and tools and networking between nature-based practitioners. Check out this short video that provides broad information on nature-based climate solutions in NB.
This project had four main stages:
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Public survey of opinion on nature-based climate solutions to gage the support for and understanding of nature-based climate solutions of residents of New Brunswick
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Engagement sessions with municipal staff, elected officials, and community leaders throughout the province to share resources and information and get input.
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The creation of a Cost-Benefit Analysis tool to support decision making
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Piloting the tool in two contrasting communities and providing training for staff
The benefit-cost analysis tool can be found here , along with case studies exploring the use of the tool with the City of Dieppe and the Rural Community of Beausoleil.
This work was funded in part by Infrastructure Canada and the New Brunswick Environmental Trust Fund.
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- Posted by Zaheera Denath
What are Coffee Talks?
Coffee Talks are intimate conversations in which 1-4 participants can meet with a subject matter expert for the length of time it would take to have a cup of coffee (typically 20-30 minutes).
They are the perfect opportunity for those:
- Seeking to learn more from a speaker they've just heard at an event.
- Who have a project that requires specific advice from someone who has the experience of doing a similar project.
- Wanting to know more about a topic before deciding whether it is something they would like to delve into.
How does the NBEN engage a Subject Matter Expert (SME)?
The NBEN draws from its past speakers as well as members of its collaboratives and caucuses, and will also brainstorm potential topics of interest through its Steering Committee. Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) who have volunteered time to a Coffee Talk in the list will change over the course of the year based on the SMEs availability.Currently available Subject Matter Experts:
Briana Cowie, Eastern Charlotte Waterways (EN)
- Two Sessions
- Climate Adaptation Planning in:
- land-use planning
- fisheries industry
- indigenous assets
Marion Tétégon Simon, VALORES (FR)
- Three Sessions
- Climate Change Adaptation
Jenna Miller, CLIMAtlantic and NB Climate Change Secretariat (BI)
- One Session
- Coastal Climate Change Adaptation and Benefit-Cost Analysis Tools
Serge LaRochelle,Rural Community of Beausoleil (BI)
- One Session
- Living shoreline approaches to climate change adaptation and benefit-cost analysis
If you are an expert and wish be added to the list, please fill in this form:
https://form.asana.com/?k=LrvU4GTTjPOzVkTP70qWuQ&d=1198735596148199
How can I meet with a Subject Matter Expert?
An NBEN staff member will process a form you complete. They will contact the expert you choose to coordinate a date and time that suits you both. You will receive an email with a Zoom link for your meeting once a meeting time has been established. Please fill in this form to meet with one of the Subject Matter Experts:
https://form.asana.com/?k=f0hM5_L2sqmRmhanC70PIg&d=1198735596148199
