Tip sheet: Start collaborating on municipal climate adaptation

This tip sheet will help you answer:  

• How can we identify and develop the collaborations needed for our climate adaptation efforts?  

Getting started

Map your network.

Mapping your municipality’s network means identifying whom you have connections with outside of your organization. This helps you see where you are already collaborating and find new opportunities to work with others.

How do you make sure you have the network you need to do climate adaptation work?  

Here are some tips to help you get started.

1. Examine existing collaborations.

A good way to start understanding where, how and with whom your organization is already collaborating is simply to ask those you work with. Start by setting up short meetings, sending out an email or putting out a survey to get insights from your colleagues into the context of the collaboration and the potential to work together on climate adaptation efforts. For example, consider asking:

• Who have you worked with, or are working with, outside your organization?  
• What have you worked on, or are working on, with them? What have the outcomes been?
• Who within your organization initiated and/or manages the relationship?  

2. Identify new partnership opportunities.

Identifying potential opportunities for collaboration on climate adaptation involves recognizing those already engaged in climate adaptation initiatives and who else might be affected by climate change. For example,

Who is already engaged in climate adaptation initiatives?  

• Community groups and Indigenous communities may be actively involved in climate adaptation efforts by, for example, developing their understanding of how community members are affected by and are responding to climate hazards.
• Academic institutions (e.g., universities, research centres) may be researching or conducting pilot projects related to climate adaptation.
• Regional, provincial and territorial governments and neighbouring municipalities may have climate adaptation plans and initiatives in place.
• Non-profit organizations and conservation authorities may offer awareness-building programs related to, for example, emergency response or ecosystem preservation.  

Who else might be impacted by climate change? Some examples include:

• vulnerable populations: Low-income communities, the elderly and young people and those with  health issues can be at higher risk of climate impacts than others.
• farmers and agricultural workers: Climate change can impact water availability and soil health, which in turn affects crops.
• healthcare providers: Heatwaves put a strain on healthcare systems.
• local industries or businesses: Climate hazards may make a community a less desirable place to visit or stay, impacting sectors like tourism, real estate, utilities and natural resources. 

1. Identify local climate information.

Your assessment will likely include two types of climate information: qualitative and quantitative. Quantitative information typically includes historical and future weather and climate data as well as numerical likelihood and impact scores, while qualitative information typically includes information acquired through experience and observation.

ClimateData.ca has a glossary of key terms that can help you identify and interpret information about local climate impacts.

Both types of climate information are available from many different sources and at various scales, ranging from international to local scales. While it’s important to keep the broader climate change context in mind, your focus should be on how your local climate is changing and will continue to change. Resources like ClimateData.ca and Climate Atlas of Canada can help by providing downscaled climate information specific to your location. You might also already have climate information on hand; for example, operations staff may have recorded information about your community’s response to past climate events such as floods or wildfires.

The Climate Atlas of Canada has Indigenous map layers with climate data for First Nations, Inuit communities and Métis homelands. It also provides resources to learn about Indigenous knowledges and climate change. You can find more on the Climate Atlas of Canada’s page about Indigenous knowledges.

 

At this stage, you should also identify which community members you will seek information from and how. For example,

• engaging local and regional First Nations, Métis and Inuit individuals, communities and organizations according to their engagement protocols
• hosting community dinners for urban Indigenous people
• conducting interviews with local businesses
• facilitating focus-group sessions with representatives from local organizations such as advocacy groups and volunteer organizations
• conducting an online survey to gather input from the public

2. Interpreting local climate change information

Processing large amounts of climate change information can be overwhelming. To make sense of it, look at what the data says about past and future key climate indicators within various categories. For example:

• indicators related to temperature: mean summer temperature, the number of days above a specified temperature threshold, the length of a frost-free season
• indicators related to precipitation: number of days with a rainfall amount above a specified precipitation threshold, maximum amount of precipitation in a single day, number of consecutive dry days
• indicators related to sea ice: total area of sea ice, proportion of sea ice area made up of multi-year sea ice

More climate indicators are outlined and discussed in the Government of Canada’s page about climate indicators.

Patterns in these climate indicators are used to describe climate hazards. The process you use will depend on the information you are using and the risk assessment framework you are working within. For example:

 

Work in collaboration. 

Effective collaboration requires ongoing communication. Collaboration also benefits from shared understanding, mutual respect and reciprocity. All of this can take time, energy and resources, which may already be in short supply.  

How do we work in collaboration in a meaningful way that works for all of us?  

Here are some tips to help you get started.

1. Focus on building relationships.

Strong relationships are required before meaningful collaboration can occur. Relationship-building is not a one-time task. It requires time to get to know your potential collaborators, effort to understand what matters to them and actions to build trust. This is particularly important when working with local and regional First Nations, Métis, Inuit and urban Indigenous Peoples communities and organizations. Once there is a sound relationship, the next step is to reach out about possible collaborations. 

Explore Factsheet: Advancing government-to-Nation relationships | Green Municipal Fund for more support on building meaningful relationships with First Nation communities.

2. Start small.

Begin with small, manageable projects to build trust, gain experience working together and demonstrate the value of collaboration. Small beginnings help all partners understand how to best work together in the ongoing process of climate adaptation. One of the best ways to involve potential partners and collaborators is to work together to identify the impacts of climate change on the community and potential actions that could be taken to manage impacts. Involving partners from the onset of your climate adaptation work helps make sure the results of your efforts are informed by diverse perspectives, in turn increasing the likelihood partners will provide support for implementation. 

Read Tip sheet: Start assessing your local climate risks and Tip sheet: Start climate adaptation planning to learn more about working together to identify climate change impacts and potential adaptation actions.

3. Tailor your approach.

Partnerships and collaborative efforts take different forms, based on what is needed for the project and the interests of the parties. Some examples include: 

Type of partnership or collaboration	Example in climate adaptation
Workshops and brainstorming sessions These are interactive sessions where team members can share ideas, solve problems and develop strategies collaboratively. These can be done in person or virtually. Sessions are organized as needed by a lead organization. Participants provide input but do not typically make decisions.	A municipality invites representatives from several stakeholder organizations to participate in a workshop to identify the impacts of climate change on the community.
Working committees These are formal groups developed to complete or inform specific tasks or projects. Members bring diverse skills and perspectives to achieve common goals.  The terms of reference are often documented to clarify responsibilities, decision-making processes, resourcing and expectations regarding committee participation.	A municipality invites representatives from neighbouring First Nations and community organizations to join a working committee that will inform the development of a community climate adaptation plan. Participants agree to attend—and be engaged during—four half-day workshops, in addition to reviewing documents and providing feedback.
One-on-one efforts Individual collaborations can be highly effective for engaging partners with specific or unique considerations or tackling specific tasks that require focused attention. This type of collaboration may be formalized through an agreement or may be informal and ad-hoc.	A municipality engages a neighbouring First Nation, providing resources to knowledge keepers who share valuable insights about how lands in their territory have adapted in response to climate change over time.
Partnerships and alliances Organizations can form strategic partnerships to leverage each other's strengths and resources for mutual benefit. Each organization maintains its own autonomy and jurisdiction (where applicable) and can choose to collaborate when its interests align.	A municipality forms a partnership with a local university to conduct a community- scale climate risk assessment. They work together to define a project scope that meets both the municipality's and the university's needs.
Joint ventures Two or more organizations collaborate on a specific project or initiative, sharing resources, risks and rewards. The terms (e.g., resources that will be contributed, roles and responsibilities, governance) of a joint venture should be documented in a legally binding agreement.	Two neighbouring municipalities combine resources to build flood protection infrastructure that will benefit both communities.
Communities of practice Groups of people who share a common interest or profession come together to share knowledge, experience and best practices. Networks built through communities of practice may be a source of other types of partnerships as needed to advance specific initiatives.	Municipal staff who are championing climate adaptation in their organizations form a regional community of practice with their peers to promote shared learning and action. The community of practice meets quarterly, rotating hosting responsibilities among member communities and maintaining an online forum where members can share resources, provide updates and work through challenges between meetings.

 

4. Develop a shared understanding of a “good” partnership.

Work with your partner to be clear about mutual expectations and how you can best work together for success. You might cover topics like:

• your shared objectives
• resources being committed, including in-kind contributions like time and expertise
• factors for a successful process and outcome (e.g., timelines, scheduling, requirements for flexible participation opportunities or other ways of enabling effective participation)
• responsibilities for decision making, including identifying the role of each partner in informing or making key decisions
• contact names and protocol

Consider writing some of these points down in an agreement, friendship accord or terms of reference. The approach to formalizing your collaboration should be appropriate to the type of partnership or collaboration. 

Next steps

Collaboration with others is an important part of building the core of your climate adaptation efforts—people, partnerships and governance. For more support to get started on strengthening people, partnerships and governance, explore the following tip sheets:

• Tip sheet: Start resourcing your municipality for climate adaptation [Link to M1 tip sheet]
• Tip sheet: Start building council momentum for climate adaptation [Link to M3 tip sheet]
• Tip sheet: Start involving diverse voices in municipal climate adaptation [Link to M4 tip sheet]

Explore the Climate-Ready Communities Assessment Tool for additional insight and support. You can use the tool to evaluate your existing climate adaptation efforts, pinpoint areas for improvement and chart a clear plan for strengthening your community’s adaptation efforts.