In April 2021, Town Council approved and adopted the Corporate Climate Change Adaptation Plan. The Plan helps to increase Orangeville’s capacity to cope with the risks of climate change. The plan outlines how the Town will adapt its assets, operations, and services. The development of the plan followed a five-milestone framework.  

Click the link below to check out the plan:

Corporate Climate Change Adaptation Plan

Explore the Corporate Climate Change Adaptation Plan story map to learn more.

Five milestone framework

The development of the Corporate Climate Change Adaptation Plan was guided by the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) Canada, Building Adaptative and Resilient Communities (BARC) program. The BARC program is a five-milestone adaptation planning framework for local governments.

Following this framework, a list of actions has been identified for implementation to enhance Orangeville’s ability to address climate change and build local resilience moving forward.

Milestone 1 – Initiate – Completed 
Involved identifying key stakeholders, establishing a climate change adaptation team, investigating the climate change impacts and existing adaptation measures and passed a council resolution to develop a Corporate Climate Change Adaptation Plan.
Milestone 2 – Research – Completed 
Involved research and data collection to examine climatic conditions and its impact within the Town of Orangeville. Refined impacts and considered service areas for each and undertook a vulnerability and risk assessment. 
Milestone 3 – Plan – Completed 
On April 12th, 2021, the Town’s Corporate Climate Change Adaptation Plan was approved by Council. Where Council authorized staff to begin the implementation of the action items within the plan. The plan includes 39 actions that the municipality will take to mitigate and adapt to climate change. 
Milestone 4 – Implement – On-going 
Staff are working to implement the actions identified in the Corporate Climate Change Adaptation Plan. This involves following the implementation schedule within the plan to prioritize actions, measure program success and identify key performance indicators. 
Milestone 5 – Monitor/Review – On-going 
Staff will track the on-going implementation of the Corporate Climate Change Adaptation Plan, identifying and reporting on the successes and challenges. Staff will evaluate the effectiveness of actions, communicate accomplishments, investigate future climate actions, and prepare for future updates to the plan. 

Climate Change Adaptation Policy

In 2019, Town Council approved and endorsed the Corporate Climate Change Adaptation Policy. The policy guides the Town’s commitment to advancing climate change adaptation efforts across the corporation to manage, minimize or eliminate the local risks and impacts associated with climate change. The policy establishes the Town’s goals, actions, and guiding principles towards climate adaptation. 

Timeline

Learn More About Climate Change

Global Climate Change – Explore NASA's Global Climate Change website to learn more about the causes of climate change. Below are some specific videos:

Video: Climate Change 101 – With Bill Nye and National Geographic

Carbon Footprint – Calculate your carbon footprint and learn how you can reduce your contribution to climate change

Climate Data – Explore Climate Data's interactive map to compare different climate variables in Orangeville, for the past, present, and future

Canada in a Changing Climate – Is the national assessment of how and why Canada’s climate is changing; the impacts of these changes on our communities, environment, and economy; and how we are adapting