Climate-informed Codes, Standards and Guidance in Canada

Since 2016, Infrastructure Canada (INFC) has been instrumental in supporting world-leading research to integrate climate information into resilience planning for buildings and infrastructure through new and updated design data, construction specifications, decision tools, guidelines, standards, and changes to national codes. During the 2021-2026 period, INFC is supporting the National Research Council (NRC)-led Climate Resilient Built Environment (CRBE) and the Standards Council of Canada (SCC)-led Standards to Support Resilient Infrastructure Program (SSRIP) initiatives.

The CRBE initiative builds on the foundational work and success of the ongoing 2016-2021 Climate Resilient Buildings and Core Public Infrastructure (CRBCPI) Initiative and, to date, has delivered world-leading future climate design engineering inputs and over 65 climate-informed codes, standards, guidance, and decision-support tools. Priority areas by 2026 include public transit, nature-based solutions for flood mitigation, buildings, roads, water/wastewater systems, bridges, urban heat mitigation, and guidance for northern, remote, and Indigenous communities.

SSRIP has delivered standardised projects to address resilience needs since 2016. By 2028, the program will have advanced 50 new and updated standards and related guidance that incorporate climate change considerations for infrastructure and buildings across Canada with particular focus on heat, flooding, the Canadian North, integrated risk management, natural infrastructure, and low-carbon asset resilience.

The timely delivery of updated guidance has proven beneficial for communities, enabling them to build back better after climate disasters and extreme events. For example, guidance to address the impacts of wildfires on communities (National Guide for Wildland-Urban Interface Fires) published in 2021 is being used by the town of Lytton, British Columbia, to rebuild after wildfires destroyed much of the city that same year.

Sustained outreach and engagement with infrastructure owners, managers and designers is essential to increase rapid, early adoption of newly developed standards, guidance, and tools. Swift change in practice must be encouraged alongside updates to the national building codes (a lengthier process). 

Under new climatic conditions, relying on historical climate information has crucial implications for infrastructure design, leading to significant potential for maladaptation and greater financial and socioeconomic risks. Tools, such as the NRC-developed Design Value Explorer, can accelerate the use of future projected climate information to inform infrastructure design when using national codes.

The projected impact of INFC’s work on climate-informed codes, standards and guidance is significant, as reflected by an independent study reporting that using some of the key, resulting guidance produced under CRBCPI could save Canada an estimated Can$4.7 billion annually for new construction.