Niagara Falls seeks community input on climate change plan

Since the start of 2023, Niagara Falls has been working with stakeholders across the community to draft up its first-ever concrete plan to tackle a climate plan.

The initial draft is ready and now the City is looking for community input to help round off the rough edges before the final plan comes before the city council this fall.

“Climate change is a reality that our community is currently facing. Already, we are seeing how climate change impacts our local infrastructure, economy, and well-being,” said the city planners.

“The City of Niagara Falls is taking a proactive approach to reducing the impacts of a changing climate and extreme weather on the community’s built, social, natural, and economic systems by guiding the development of a Climate Change Adaptation Plan.”

The Plan development process began in February and followed the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives Canada’s BARC (Building Adaptative and Resilient Communities) Milestones 1-3 process, which has been used in hundreds of Canadian Municipalities.

Climate projections and data guided the project working group to identify and prioritize which climate change issues impact Niagara Falls the most.

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“Actions within the plan primarily address adapting to climate change, but also include some first key actions related to mitigating climate change (reducing greenhouse gasses), and working to avoid the unmanageable. Adaptation includes preparing for extreme weather such as floods and extreme heat,” said the city team.

“The prioritized action details in the plan lay out the framework that will move this community project from the planning stage to the implementation phase over the coming five years.”

The Draft Plan is online now and community and business members can provide general feedback as well as consider opportunities for engagement with the plan’s implementation.  Comments and feedback on the plan are welcomed on or before September 5.

View the Draft Plan here.