Municipalities have influence over roughly 50% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Canada. By adopting practices that reduce, remove or avoid GHG emissions and pursuing meaningful ways to adapt to changing climate realities, municipalities can improve their residents’ quality of life while saving money in operating costs.
 
The Municipalities for Climate Innovation Program (MCIP) was a five-year $75-million program, delivered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and funded by the Government of Canada. From 2017-2022, we helped more than 600 municipalities by providing funding, training and information sharing with the aim of encouraging municipalities to better prepare for and adapt to the new realities of climate change. 
 
Through the program, municipalities developed responses to climate change that protects residents, the environment and economy. We’ve engaged over 25,000 participants and helped communities by supporting activities like gap analyses, vulnerability assessments, municipal emergency response plans, natural asset evaluations, stormwater management, flood intervention and mobilizing expert organizations across the sector.
 
Below you’ll find MCIP’s rich legacy of impactful tools, videos and more. Discover practical ways your community can address climate change through local climate action, plans and policies.

$54.7M
worth of climate-focused municipal projects funded
321
municipal climate projects
1,613
training events and workshops
26,000+
participants engaged in the program
159
partners supporting local climate action
Building a legacy of local climate action
While MCIP has officially come to an end, our legacy of local climate action lives on.
Cover of MCIP's end-of-program report.
Building a legacy of local climate action

Read our end-of-program report to discover the ways in which we supported local climate innovation in Canadian municipalities. 

How to apply a municipal climate lens
Canadian municipalities are increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. It is important that communities take steps to adapt to our changing climate and find ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To address these two areas, we developed these maturity scales to can help your community track and identify steps to reach your climate goals.
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Tool: Climate adaptation maturity scale

Is your community taking action to adapt to the impacts of climate change? Evaluate your actions and track your progress with our free assessment tool.

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Tool: Greenhouse gas emissions reduction maturity scale

Evaluate your municipality's emissions reduction actions using our free assessment tool and use it to track your progress toward improvements over time.

Climate change adaptation
Adapting to climate change and extreme weather events is essential to protect Canadians and ensure the long-term resiliency of our municipalities. Actions your community takes today can reduce its vulnerabilities as well as the future costs incurred related to climate events. Below you will find resources that can assist your community adapting to its local climate challenges.
Group of commuters walking in city's financial district.
The building blocks of municipal climate resilience

Discover the value of a formal climate adaptation strategy. You’ll find guides, resources and tools to help you develop and implement your plan.

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Guide: Municipal climate change staff

Read our Municipal Climate Change Staff Guide for practical information, resources, checklists and templates that can help you in your new role working on climate change.

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Talking it through: Guide for local government staff on climate adaptation

Do you need help having climate conversations in your municipality? Check out our Talking it Through guide. This resource was created to help municipal staff talk to decision-makers.

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Case studies: Using data to address water infrastructure vulnerabilities

Municipal assets and public services are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, placing local leaders at the frontlines of risk reduction and adaptation.

Greenhouse gas reductions
Are you looking for support in reducing your municipality’s GHG emissions? Read these resources.
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Video series: Climate in focus

Watch our video series to develop a core understanding of climate action in Canadian municipalities. You’ll also discover climate approaches and resources that can help your community reduce greenhouse gases and adapt to climate impacts.

Woman talking to her virtual team
Factsheet: Municipal governance for deep decarbonization

Learn how Malartic, Quebec is developing an active transportation plan to increase walkability and reduce GHG emissions.

Three people in an office looking at a screen
Factsheet: Governance components for deep decarbonization

Is your community looking to create green development standards? Read our case study and access helpful resources.

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Factsheet: Governance strategies for deep decarbonization

A major efficiency upgrade to the local arena is underway to reduce power consumption and associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by up to 75 per cent. Learn how the Bridgetown Community Recreation Association and The County of Annapolis, NS, are making it happen.

Climate and asset management
Discover ways to integrate climate considerations into your community’s asset management approach.
Man in hard hat inspects road work.
Tools: Operations and maintenance for climate resilience

Learn strategies to improve your community’s climate resilience through your existing assets and programs. Check out our handbook, worksheet and factsheets. 

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Learning journey: Climate resilience and asset management

Discover how your community can combine its climate action and asset management approaches, with our learning journey. Watch a video and read our easy-to-understand factsheets and guide. 

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Asset management resource library

Check out our curated collection of guides, case studies, templates and more, all aimed at helping you implement good asset management practices.

After affects of windstorms: driftwood washing up to shore
Video series: Climate resilience and asset management

Watch this video series to learn how municipalities across Canada are making climate action a part of their municipal asset management practices and decision-making.

Community planners hover over a plan.
Integrating Climate Considerations: Community planning

Is your municipality updating or renewing its community plan? Check out this page to learn what climate considerations you should be integrating in your planning activities and learn about what tools you will want to use before you create your plan.

Staff sitting around a computer talking about a project.
Integrating Climate Considerations: Service delivery planning

Is your municipality reviewing its service delivery planning? This page can help you discover climate considerations you should be integrating in your service delivery planning activities and learn about what tools you will want to use before you create your plan.

Road resurfacing.
Integrating Climate Considerations: Governance and operations

Municipal day-to-day operations need to integrate climate change data and considerations. Read this page to learn questions and tools that can help you take climate action in your community.

Case studies
Read about initiatives developed through the Municipalities for Climate Innovation Program.
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Strengthening your community’s approach to climate change with green infrastructure

See how a partnership between six communities led to the development of green infrastructure guidelines that can benefit any local government. 

A row of tall office buildings and apartments sit on the waterfront by a long bridge at sunset.
Case study series: Using climate data to drive adaptation

Read our case study series to discover how communities across Canada are using data to inform local climate adaptation planning.

Man presenting to a group of people
Insights on the role of mayors and councillors in advancing local climate action

Read our interview with four climate leaders who talk about their connection to climate action, their municipality’s journey and what experience they would share with other elected officials.

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Tool for municipal clean energy program development

Learn about the pathways and steps to achieve deep decarbonization and net-zero emissions by 2050.

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Green development standards for growing communities

The City of Victoria plans to significantly reduce emissions of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through a broad, comprehensive and collaborative strategy. 

Join the network

Does your municipality need free, expert advice and support to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions? FCM now offers free services and training from environmental experts, known as FCM’s regional climate advisors, for municipalities that are members of the FCM-ICLEI Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) program. Funding for this initiative is delivered by FCM’s Municipalities for Climate Innovation Program and provided by the Government of Canada.

Government of Canada logo

The Municipalities for Climate Innovation Program (2017-2022) was a five-year $75-million program, delivered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and funded by the Government of Canada.

© 2024 Federation of Canadian Municipalities