First Climate Change Adaptation Plan

HALTON HILLS, ON – The Town of Halton Hills completed its first Climate Change Adaptation Plan, addressing how the changing environment impacts the Town, future actions, suggestions as to what the community can do and resources they can access. Climate adaptation is built on the premise that appropriate actions are undertaken before major impacts occur or shortly after they take place in order to mitigate or minimize damage.

“Climate change impacts our natural environment, infrastructure lifespan, food production, weather-related emergencies and ultimately will yield a high cost if we don’t take action now,” said Mayor Rick Bonnette. “Halton Hills continues to be a leader in sustainability initiatives and our shift in focus is indicative of our efforts to be proactive and address the real-world changes that we are seeing.”

Development of the plan included extensive public and stakeholder engagement that identified a number of concerns including: reduced pollinators; increased number of invasive species, fewer migratory birds; increased respiratory illness due to reduced air quality, prevalence of Lyme disease and negative impacts to quality of life.

It was noted that while the plan is municipally-led, local businesses, community organizations, faith-based groups and conservation authorities have important roles to play in building resilience, planning for and responding to emergencies. The plan also identifies specific issues for the municipality to address including: tree protection and planting; protection of water systems; flood prevention actions; strengthening resiliency of Town infrastructure; and community capacity building.

To learn more about the Town’s Climate Change Adaptation Plan, visit the Town of Halton Hills website