GMF’s Climate Adaptation Communities of Practice bring together municipal staff, elected officials and partner organizations who are working to build climate resilience in their communities. These free, member-driven groups offer expert-led content, peer examples, and access to tools and resources that support climate adaptation planning and project implementation. 

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Why join a Community of Practice?

Municipalities across Canada face common climate risks, capacity pressures and resource constraints. A Community of Practice offers a structured way to exchange knowledge, compare approaches and strengthen local adaptation work while reducing duplication of effort.  

By participating you can:  

• Build confidence in planning and project decisions through shared learning
• Reduce the time spent searching for tools, precedents, or comparable examples
• Better understand how others are approaching risk assessments, adaptation planning and implementation
• Access knowledge that supports both immediate needs and long-term resilience

Membership is free and designed to support communities of all sizes. 

How do our Communities of Practice work?

Communities of Practice meet every two months for virtual sessions that combine expert insights, member presentations, facilitated discussions and practical activities. Sessions focus on real municipal challenges and highlight approaches being used across Canada.  

Between sessions, members can:

• Access materials through a dedicated Teams channel
• Continue conversations and share resources with peers
• Review session recordings and presentation decks
• Sessions are offered in both English and French. 

Sessions are offered in both English and French. 

Which Community of Practice is right for you?

We offer two climate adaptation Communities of Practice to support municipalities at different points in their climate adaptation work. 

Climate-Ready Plans and Processes Community of Practice 

Designed for municipalities in the early stages of adaptation, focusing on developing strategies, plans and methodologies.  

Topics you’ll focus on:  

• Forming cross-functional teams and gaining council alignment
• Developing climate risk and impact assessments
• Creating adaptation plans and prioritization frameworks
• Integrating adaptation into asset management, land-use planning and municipal systems
• Engaging stakeholders, rightsholders and community partners 

Adaptation in Action Community of Practice 

For municipalities preparing or implementing adaptation projects that reduce community climate risks.

Topics you’ll focus on:  

• Project initiation: Moving from risk assessments and plans to selecting priority projects
• Project planning: Developing clear, actionable project scopes
• Project implementation: Coordinating partners, timelines and on-the-ground work
• Close-out operations: Ensuring long-term performance, maintenance and reporting 

Who can join? 

Communities of Practice are open to:  

• Local government staff
• Elected officials
• Provincial and Territorial Association staff

Participants may register for one or both Communities of Practice. 

How to register

• Review eligibility requirements and program format
  • Climate-Ready Plans and Processes
  • Adaptation in Action
• Complete and submit the registration form.

Note: While we encourage early applications to take advantage of the full year of networking and peer learning, registrations are accepted on an ongoing basis. CoP cycles renew each April, and early registration allows members to benefit from the full year of programming.

You are welcome to register for both the Climate-Ready Plans and Processes CoP and the Adaptation in Action CoP. 

 Registrer Now

Are you looking to strengthen your municipality's climate adaptation work?  

If you are applying or preparing for Adaptation in Action funding through the Green Municipal Fund’s Local Leadership for Climate Adaptation initiative, you can benefit from free coaching from climate adaptation experts to support your project design and implementation. 

What is Adaptation in Action coaching?

Adaptation in Action coaching empowers municipalities with expert guidance, ensuring your climate adaptation projects are effective, equitable and resilient. Tailored coaching is available to help you navigate the complexities of climate adaptation implementation with the latest information and consideration, so your projects are successful and inclusive.

Our coaching aims to deliver up to 10 hours of personalized coaching sessions per municipality, project or team, tailored to help you navigate and succeed in your climate adaptation projects.

Benefits of coaching: 

• Tailored, on-demand expert support  

  Our coaching is designed to maximize the impact of your climate adaptation projects by providing personalized support tailored to your community's specific needs. Coaching helps ensure that your projects are effective, equitable and resilient.

• Expertise you can trust 

  Our coaches are seasoned professionals with extensive experience in key areas of climate adaptation. They bring a deep understanding of the unique challenges municipalities face and are fully equipped to guide you through them.

• Free of charge

  These services are offered at no cost to participating municipalities. Our priority is to ensure you have access to the resources you need to make a lasting impact.

Areas of expertise

Eligible municipalities can access free expert guidance in the following areas. Expand each section to learn more about our expert coaches, their areas of expertise, and how they can support your climate adaptation initiatives. 

Indigenous Knowledge and Engagement Methods

What this coaching will help you achieve:

• Advancing Indigenous rights through climate adaptation aligned with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).  
• Applying a holistic Indigenous lens to adaptation planning, grounded in Michi Saagiig Nishnabeg rights, culture and spirituality.  
• Exploring Indigenous-led adaptation, Two-Eyed Seeing, and bridging Western and Indigenous knowledge systems.  
• Strengthening respectful, rights-based engagement approaches and supporting early and ongoing collaboration with Indigenous communities while honouring governance structures, knowledge sovereignty, protocols and culturally appropriate ways of knowing. 

Coaches

• Gary Pritchard, Chief Executive Officer, 4 Directions of Conservation Consulting Services

  Gary is the Chief Executive Officer of 4 Directions of Conservation Consulting Services and a member of Curve Lake First Nation. With experience working with nearly 300 Indigenous communities across North America, he brings expertise in Indigenous-led conservation, Two-Eyed Seeing in ecological monitoring, capacity building, and bridging Western and traditional sciences.

Anti-Racism, Equity, and Inclusion

What this coaching will help you achieve:

• Embedding Anti-Racism, Equity, and Inclusion (AREI) principles into the design and implementation of adaptation projects.  
• Identifying systemic barriers and inequities that shape climate vulnerability, particularly for equity-deserving and historically marginalized communities.  
• Applying an AREI lens across project stages, prioritizing lived experience and developing practical tools and guiding questions that promote inclusive, transparent and accountable adaptation actions with more equitable and lasting outcomes.  

Coaches

• Gabby Zuniga, Principal Consultant, Inclusive Kind  

  Gabby is the founder of Inclusive Kind, focusing on advancing equity and inclusion across institutions and communities. She brings decades of expertise in driving systemic change to create environments where everyone can thrive.  

• Erin Walker, DEI Consultant, Inclusive Kind  

  Erin is a leader in advancing equity and inclusion across institutions and communities. With extensive experience, she specializes in driving transformative change to foster environments where everyone can succeed. 

Inclusive Engagement and Community Collaboration

What this coaching will help you achieve:

• Nicole Armos, Associate Director, Knowledge & Practice, Simon Fraser University Centre for Dialogue

  Nicole leads the Centre for Dialogue’s research, knowledge exchange and capacity building initiatives. With over a decade of experience supporting local, provincial and federal public engagement projects, she advances innovative and equitable approaches to participatory democracy.

• Michelle Bested, Associate Director, Engagement and Social Enterprise, Simon Fraser University Centre for Dialogue

  Michelle has led the consulting services team since 2019. She works with partners across Canada to design inclusive public and stakeholder engagement initiatives on issues such as housing and climate change. With a background in international cooperation and degrees from the London School of Economics and the University of Ottawa, she is passionate about fostering meaningful, inclusive dialogue.  

Project Management

What this coaching will help you achieve:

• Strengthening the planning, implementation and evaluation of climate adaptation initiatives.  
• Defining scope, timelines, roles, governance structures, and performance indicators to ensure projects are delivered effectively and sustainably.  
• Gaining practical tools for budgeting, funding identification, risk management and internal coordination.  
• Enhancing project structures and decision-making processes, helping teams deliver adaptation outcomes on time, on budget and with measurable impact.  

Coaches

• Dr. Chúk Odenigbo, Environmental Scientist, Tamarack Institute

  With over 10 years of experience in bilingual community engagement and project management with an anti-racism lens, Chúk has worked conducting environmental impact assessments. This technical expertise, combined with his leadership in social impact projects, positions him as a key player in helping municipalities design sustainable and resilient climate solutions. 

Technical Solutions

What this coaching will help you achieve:

• Identifying and implementing effective technical climate adaptation measures, including grey, green and hybrid infrastructure.  
• Assessing climate risks, analyzing feasibility and selecting context-appropriate engineering and nature-based solutions.  
• Exploring innovative and nature-positive approaches that enhance resilience while ensuring durable, technically sound outcomes.  
• Providing support tailored to municipal needs, drawing on multidisciplinary expertise to strengthen long-term sustainability.

Coaches

• Harris Switzman, M.A.Sc., P.Geo., ENV SP, Senior Sustainability and Climate Change Specialist, Onterris (formerly Montrose Environmental Solutions)

  Harris is an environmental and sustainability professional with over 15 years of experience developing and implementing strategies for corporate and operational aspects of climate change adaptation, GHG emissions reductions, water management and overall environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance.

• Amanda McKay, P.Eng., Project Manager and Main Contact, Onterris

  Amanda is a senior water resources engineer with over 12 years of consulting experience specializing in assessing and mitigating climate change effects on hydrology, hydraulics, and environmental water management. She has led and contributed to a wide range of projects across Canada, including flood risk studies, watershed management, river restoration, stormwater management (SWM), and environmental assessments.

The rest of the team is also from Onterris, with expertise in water resources, ecology, engineering and climate risk, supporting project delivery, including:

• David Van Vliet, Service Director, Climate Risk and Strategic Services  
• Nicholas Krygsman, Service Director, Eastern Water Resources and Principal Civil/Water Resources Engineer
• Mariëtte Pushkar, Principal Fluvial Geomorphologist  
• Shari Muscat, Service Director, Eastern Ecology  
• Isabelle Filion, Senior Engineer  
• Daron Abbey, Principal Hydrogeologist  
• Fabio Tonto, Senior Engineer 

Who is eligible for coaching?  

Coaching services are available to municipalities that are applying or preparing for Adaptation in Action funding, including:

• Municipalities with approved Adaptation in Action funding (feasibility studies and implementation projects)  
• Applicants that were not selected for funding but remain eligible for support  
• Municipalities that have completed an Adaptation in Action pre-application form and are preparing a full application  
• Municipalities that have completed Climate-Ready Plans and Processes (CRPP) funding and are moving towards implementation, with eligibility for Adaptation in Action funding 

How to access Coaching?

Step 1: Express your interest in coaching  

Municipalities that are applying or preparing for Adaptation in Action funding can express their interest in coaching. To provide insights on your needs and project, you will complete an online form. This form serves a dual purpose: it signals your interest in coaching and helps us understand your project’s specific needs.

Step 2: Co-develop your coaching plan 

Based on the needs identified in your project, FCM staff will collaborate with you to co-create a tailored coaching plan. This personalized learning journey may involve one or more coaches, depending on your specific context and needs. The goal is to ensure that the path forward reflects your priorities and responds to your municipality’s specific needs.

Step 3: Begin your coaching sessions 

Book your coaching sessions at your convenience. Sessions will be conducted virtually, providing flexibility for your team.

Step 4: Implement and succeed 

With the guidance of your coaches, you’ll be better equipped to implement your project successfully, overcoming challenges and achieving your climate adaptation goals. Throughout your coaching experience and at the end of the coaching sessions, we will seek your feedback to ensure the experience is valuable and to help us improve our services for future participants. 

Cost

Completely Free

The Adaptation in Action Coaching Services are provided at no cost to participating municipalities. Our mission is to empower you to take meaningful climate action without financial barriers.

Canadian municipalities are responsible for building and maintaining the infrastructure that provides essential services to residents and businesses. To deliver services consistently and reliably, local governments must proactively manage their assets, as a reactive approach to repairing and replacing infrastructure can lead to higher overall costs and lapses in service delivery. A long-term financial plan can help your organization shift from reactive to proactive asset management.

Below you will find:

• Resources that describe the benefits of long-term financial planning for municipal asset management
• Tools to help you develop effective long-term financial strategies for funding infrastructure services
• Guidance on embedding levels of service, lifecycle costing, generational equity and climate resilience into long-term financial planning

Video: The benefits of long-term financial planning 

From minimizing asset lifecycle costs to managing the financial impacts of climate change, long-term financial planning can help you meet community needs today and in the future. This video explores these benefits and more alongside key examples.

Read the transcript.

Tools for developing a long-term financial plan for asset management

Are you ready to take the next step on your long-term financial planning journey? Use this suite of tools.

How levels of service and lifecycle costing inform long-term financial planning

In this guide, you’ll learn how levels of service and lifecycle costing inform long-term financial planning, and some ways that social equity and climate resilience goals can be embedded into this process. You’ll find tips, strategies, and examples that shed light on what contributes to an effective long-term financial plan for asset management.

Read the guide.

Guides, templates, tools and more to help you write your own long-term financial plan

The following tools were developed by Asset Management BC (AMBC) in collaboration with the Union of BC Municipalities and the BC Ministry of Municipal Affairs.

By identifying and establishing long-term financial goals, your community can lower ongoing asset maintenance costs while effectively funding community infrastructure and service delivery. However, drafting a plan without prior experience can be a challenging process. 

To help municipal practitioners get started with long-term financial planning, or to help more experienced staff sharpen their skills, AMBC has developed a guide, a customizable template, an Excel tool and a slide presentation. These resources were developed for a broad audience and can help you write a long-term financial plan, compile data and make calculations, summarize and present your plan, and more. 

Access the tools today. 

A neighbourhood in Markham, Ontario, will be the first net-zero community in Canada to connect all of its houses to a geothermal energy system, a major step toward achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. It’s just one of many innovative projects supported by GMF as we empower Canadian municipalities to take bold steps in addressing climate change, fostering resilience, and advancing sustainability.  

In 2023-24, GMF had our most impactful year yet, as we invested nearly $200 million in local projects and secured more than $820 million in new funding. We’re helping communities across Canada access funding, knowledge and capacity to face the diverse challenges of climate change and environmental sustainability by undertaking innovative, scalable projects that make a real difference. 

Explore GMF’s 2023-24 Annual Report

Trees are known for providing shade, absorbing carbon and enhancing biodiversity—but the power of trees doesn't end there. Living near and around trees can have vast social and health benefits, including reduced urban heat island effect, improved air quality and better mental health. Local governments who understand the value of trees can better plan and invest in these assets to ensure that they continue to provide services to their residents.

Learn from a panel of experts in forestry, human health, natural asset management and climate-resilient infrastructure as they speak to the myriad benefits rooted in vibrant urban forests and how communities can make the business case for planting and protecting trees.  

Speakers: 

• Roy Brooke, Executive Director, Natural Assets Initiative
• Joanna Eyquem, Managing Director, Climate-Resilient Infrastructure, Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation
• Barb Rabicki, Principal Owner, Wild by Nature Forest Sanctuary
• Dr. Laurette Geldenhuys, Board Member, Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment and Professor, Dalhousie University 

This webinar is well suited for: 

• Municipal elected officials   
• Parks and recreation staff
• Planners
• Asset management staff
• Climate change and sustainability staff
• Urban forestry practitioners   
• Local organizations
• Residents interested in local climate adaptation

Our expert panel and audience members shared additional resources to help you build the business case for tree planting in your community: 

• Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation, Managing Flooding and Erosion at the Watershed Scale
• Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation, Climate-ready Infographics  
• Natural Assets Initiative, Case study: Natural Asset Management in Selkirk, MB
• Natural Assets Initiative, Natural Asset Management Roadmap Program
• Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment
• Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care, Canadian Health Care Forests
• City of Montreal, Public Trees of Montreal
• 24heures, Article : Montréal: Faire des économies grâce à nos arbres
• City of Mississauga, 2022 Financial and sustainability report   
• Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, Article: Natural Asset Analysis and Valuation Project redefines nature-based solutions
• Sustainable Forestry Initiative, SFI Urban and Community Forestry Sustainability Standard
• Canadian Urban Environmental Health Research Consortium and University of Toronto, HealthyPlan.City
• Sustainable Brands, Article: How brands can help communities thrive in a changing climate
• City of Calgary, Urban Forestry Map 

Watch the webinar

This webinar was created in partnership by Tree Canada and FCM’s Green Municipal Fund for the Growing Canada’s Community Canopies initiative, which is delivered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and funded by the Government of Canada.