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The province’s adaptation strategy must also include wide-scale education, from the youngest child to the most experienced politician, to promote understanding of what we really face, including that while all of Canada is threatened by climate change, the impact will not be equally felt. Some communities will be hit harder than others, and many places around the world have been and will be hit even harder.

To address the challenges ahead, local elected officials are asking for regular, predictable funding from the provincial and federal governments to help with adaptation. Local governments already face enormous cost pressure from overdue infrastructure maintenance, so the estimated $5.3 billion that we’ll need to adapt to climate change must come from new funding. With access to only eight to 12 cents of every tax dollar and with limited avenues to generate more revenue, the shortfall we face is staggering (and for small local governments, who don’t have the necessary staff and resources to apply for grants to support climate action, the problem is even worse).

We are also asking for enabling legislation that increases our sphere of jurisdiction to reflect the climate challenges we face in our communities. We have the local expertise; we need the funding and the authority to put it into practice.

We also know that action will only cost more the longer we wait — recent assessments find $5 to $6 saved for every dollar invested in adaptation activities to reduce risk and disaster losses. We recommend, as was supported by majority vote at the 2019 Union of B.C. Municipalities conference, that provincial financing be redirected from lower-priority expenditures (including fossil fuel subsidies) to local government adaptation and resilience efforts.

We are asking for the B.C. Climate Adaptation Strategy to support, empower and resource our communities and help us to use the climate crisis as an opportunity to create resilient, compassionate and connected communities across British Columbia.

Port Moody Councillor Amy Lubik, Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps, and Nelson Councillor Rik Logtenberg are members of the Climate Caucus, an organization of local elected officials and NGOs across Canada concerned about climate change, which has gathered input from across B.C. for a submission to the B.C. government.