THUNDER BAY -- The city's Climate Adaptation Strategy isn't yet a year old and it's already receiving accolades for its foresight.
Speaking before city council on Monday, International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives Canada manager Ewa Jackson issued a ringing endorsement of the plan, adding Thunder Bay is already being used as a model for other municipalities who are making their own plans.
"I think this shows the commitment, not only to the BARC framework but approaching adaptation through a methodological and step-by-step manner and not ad-hoc or piecemeal -- really looking at it system-wide -- which we think is very valuable and rare," Jackson said.
Tracking the strategy's progress is almost intangible according to Current River Coun. Andrew Foulds, who also serves as the chairman of EarthCare Thunder Bay. The strategy is the city's first 21st Century portfolio and its job is to modernize 20th Century municipal management.
"I think one of the strengths of the climate adaptation plan is it allows itself to embed itself in other plans. It's not a stand-alone plan," Foulds said.
"When you see things like in my ward, the Cumberland Street construction, I think this is a real example of some of the work that has been done. We're doing to have less pavement so less impermeable surfaces, we're going to have more trees that deal with sequestering carbon and storm water management."
Foulds believes integrating new and greener ideas will require cooperation from senior levels of government and he's confident a case can be made for more funding to close the green infrastructure gap.
"We've done a lot municipally and I think that positions us well to make arguments to the federal government, to the provincial government that we need some assistance," he said.
"We're doing some of the heavy lifting in the municipality and I think we're showing and demonstrating leadership that I think provides the argument that the province and the feds should fund municipalities that show leadership like this."
