Our commitment to helping Canadians adapt to climate change

Climate change is having an enormous human and economic impact.

At Intact, we know how to help people adapt. That's why we partner with charitable organizations focused on protecting Canadians from the impacts of climate change. During the Nature Champions Summit, Charles announced our latest Intact Adaptation Action Grants, a $2.3 million commitment to 15 charitable partners from coast to coast.

“Canadians – especially government and business leaders – can lead the way in addressing and managing risks associated with climate change," said Charles. “By making our country one of the most climate resilient in the world, we can protect our nature, our economy and our people."

"In fact, I had a chance to meet with Prime Minister Trudeau and used the opportunity to reinforce with him the critical role that nature plays to protect us against the impacts of climate change."

According to recent research, wetlands can mitigate the damage of flood by 40% if they’re properly protected.

The 16 selected charitable partners explore concrete solutions for managing climate change, including how the maintenance and restoration of natural assets can protect against flooding.

ALUS Canada: A Weston Family Initiative, for example, aims to establish natural infrastructure projects on environmentally-sensitive or marginal agricultural lands to increase water retention, decrease overland flood, lower erosion risks and filter water.

The Intact Foundation will be investing another $1 million in climate adaptation projects this fall, so if you know of any charities working in climate change adaptation, let the Intact Foundation know and a member of the team will get in touch. Applications from charitable organizations will be accepted starting in September.

Intact Adaptation Action Grant Charitable Partners

• ALUS Canada – implementing natural infrastructure projects in marginal or inefficient-to-farm agricultural lands
• Bluenose Coastal Action – working directly with municipal partners in southwest Nova Scotia to locate, design and install low impact development projects (LIDS) with the aim of improving storm water management
• Community Forests International – reversing the clearcutting trend and embracing new financial tools that incentivize natural infrastructure improvement for flood risk reduction
• Conseil régional de l'environnement et du développement durable de l'Outaouais – reducing the impact of urban heat islands by implementing urban greening initiatives
• Ducks Unlimited Canada – increasing shallow water cells to repopulate aquatic plants and aid in flood water management
• FireSmart – addressing the need for a standardized system that offers defendable, detailed customized wildfire risk assessments and tracked measurable risk reduction for homes
• Green Calgary – promoting flood prevention through rainwater harvesting
• Green Learning Canada Foundation – engaging youth through flood education, with the goal of helping them prepare their homes and schools for a flood event
• Nature-Action Québec – shoreline restauration of the Hazen Bleury and Barbotte rivers targeted for their vulnerability to flood
• Nature Québec – helping municipalities reduce the number of heat islands and air pollution through heat island mapping, public awareness and urban greening
• Nature Conservancy of Canada – protecting and restoring wetlands in Ontario and Quebec to help reduce the impact of severe storms
• The Miistakis Institute of the Rockies Inc. – creating a “least conflict lands planning tool" to guide placement of large scale solar and wind projects
• Sentier Urbain – creating urban gardens to improve water management and reduce CO2 emissions in the Garden Circuit in Southern Montreal.
• University of Alberta – developing a computer program that recognizes large-scale atmospheric patterns that lead to extreme fire weather using AI.
• University of British Columbia – developing post-fire recovery strategies to prevent future forest fires and increase climate resilience in 21 Canadian communities.
• WWF Canada – restoring water to the urban landscape to improve water management and strengthen Montreal's resilience by uncovering underground rivers and recreating new urban rivers