
Factsheet: Planning for climate-resilient infrastructure
Learn how to protect your infrastructure from climate impacts

Building climate-resilient infrastructure ensures your community remains safe, connected, and prepared for the impacts of climate change. From safeguarding buildings and energy grids to strengthening transportation networks, resilience is essential for extending infrastructure lifespans and protecting against extreme weather, rising sea levels and other risks.
This factsheet provides guidance to help Canadian municipalities protect their communities by addressing vulnerabilities, integrating equity-focused designs and preparing for a net-zero future. It guides you through assessing climate risks, incorporating resilience into your plans and securing funding to bring projects to life.
This resource offers insights to help you:
- Build resilient infrastructure: Leverage data-driven planning, adaptable designs and nature-based solutions.
- Understand why resilience matters: Lower costs, ensure service continuity and enhance community safety.
- Conduct climate risk assessments: Identify risks, assess vulnerabilities and meet grant funding requirements.
- Develop effective strategies: Address challenges like flooding, wildfires and permafrost impacts with practical solutions.
Use this factsheet to identify steps towards protecting your community from climate risks, lowering costs and ensuring your infrastructure is prepared for the future.
Download the factsheet and start building a safer, stronger and more resilient future today.
Related Resources
See All

Webinar recording: Addressing municipal challenges through sustainability
A webinar on the socioeconomic benefits of environmental initiatives and how to increase your GMF funding chances.


Save energy, cut costs: Using GMF support in Quebec
Discover how municipalities in Quebec are upgrading their community buildings to lower costs, create local jobs and enhance building comfort.


Accelerating the transition to a circular economy: Material reuse for a net-zero future
Learn how circular construction reduces waste, lowers emissions and saves costs while strengthening communities and combating climate impact. Discover CERIEC’s solutions today.


Factsheets: Working with nature to improve infrastructure project outcomes
Learn how you can integrate nature-based solutions into your community’s infrastructure project planning

Webinar recording: Making sustainable land use decisions in your municipality
Watch our webinar to explore tools for sustainable land use decision-making. Learn to assess financial and climate impacts and apply practical strategies for your municipality.


Guides: Equity and non-energy benefits of community building retrofits
Explore the equity and other non-energy benefits of retrofitting community buildings.


Webinar recording: Accelerate your community’s net-zero transformation with new GMF funding
Watch our webinar to discover how GMF’s new funding can help you upgrade infrastructure and reduce local GHG emissions.


Guide: Taking your indoor swimming pool to net zero
A guide with key measures and lessons learned to help you build a plan for net-zero indoor swimming pools.


Webinar recording: How to start reducing GHG emissions in community buildings
Watch the discussion on how to create a GHG reduction pathway for community buildings.


Webinar recording: How to get a project started, tips for small francophone communities
If you’re a small francophone municipality looking to develop sustainability projects and access funding, watch this webinar to learn how others overcame common challenges.


Factsheets: Community Buildings Retrofit initiative
Learn how to retrofit existing community buildings to lower GHG emissions and extend their life cycle.


Webinar Recording: Enhance comfort and energy savings with municipal building envelopes
Watch this webinar to explore strategies for optimizing municipal building envelopes, enhancing both comfort and energy efficiency.


Webinar recording: Energy efficiency for reaching net zero
Learn how municipalities can advance energy efficiency initiatives to reach net-zero targets.


Community Buildings Retrofit Advisory Service
The CBR Advisory Service is a new service that is intended to help smaller municipalities by matching them to industry leaders who understand best practices in the CBR field and can help provide personalized coaching and advice, including clarified goals, insights, and replicable results.


Webinar recording: Supporting small and medium municipalities through the Community Buildings Retrofit initiative
Watch this webinar recording to learn about successful examples of completed retrofits, how municipalities can choose the right funding options and to answer any questions about the funding process.


Guide: Taking your indoor ice rink to net zero
A practical guide to get you started on your own net zero retrofit plan and to help you develop an actionable roadmap to net zero ice rinks.


Webinar: Transitioning ice rinks to net-zero
Learn the basics of building retrofits for facility buildings


Resource library: Community Buildings Retrofit
Find practical case studies and guidance for planning your local community building retrofit.


GMF’s Municipal Energy Roadmap
Solutions for Canadian communities to achieve significant GHG emissions reductions in buildings and meet long-term sustainability objectives.


Primer for elected officials: Municipal Energy Roadmap
This primer for elected officials outlines how the Municipal Energy Roadmap can help choose the right energy-related solutions for your buildings.


Factsheets: Municipal Energy Roadmap
These factsheets offer specific guidance around building-level solutions, community-level solutions, and long-term strategies to help you drill down and meet your objectives.
Related Funding
See AllCapital project: Retrofit of existing municipal buildings
Available funding: Retrofit a municipal building or portfolio of municipal buildings for higher energy performance and significant GHG emissions reduction.
See Funding OpportunityCapital project: Construction of new sustainable municipal and community buildings
Available funding: Commission and construct a new high-efficiency municipal or community building.
See Funding OpportunityStudy: Retrofit pathway for municipal buildings
Available funding: Outline the design of a proposed retrofit of an existing municipal building or portfolio of existing municipal buildings.
See Funding OpportunityStudy: New construction of municipal and community buildings
Available funding: Outline the design of a proposed new high-efficiency municipal or community building.
See Funding OpportunityCapital project: Net-Zero Transformation
Available funding: Deploy a full scale best-in-class GHG reduction solution.
See Funding OpportunityPilot: Net-Zero Transformation
Available funding: Evaluate innovative GHG reduction solutions in real-world conditions.
See Funding OpportunityStudy: Net-Zero Transformation
Available funding: Assess new approaches and solutions to bring your community closer to net-zero.
See Funding OpportunityPlan: Net-Zero Transformation
Available funding: Conduct integrated planning exercises to support the municipal transition to net zero.
See Funding OpportunityFeasibility study: Green Buildings Pathway
Determine the best approach to integrating energy and GHG reductions into longer-term management plans.
See Funding OpportunityCapital project: GHG impact retrofit
Retrofit a building to achieve a minimum 30% reduction in GHG emissions; ideal for shovel-ready projects.
See Funding OpportunityCapital project: Green Buildings Pathway retrofit
Retrofit a building using an outcomes-oriented approach to achieving (near) net zero carbon buildings over time.
See Funding OpportunityRelated Projects
See All

Case study: Retrofitting three community facilities for shared heating

