In the past decade, floods have cost the Canadian economy hundreds of millions, and in some years, billions of dollars across Canada. No region of the country is untouched. As extreme weather events such as floods increase in frequency and intensity, communities and citizens face more than just physical damages.
“Entire lives are often disrupted as families are displaced from their homes, children are unable to attend their schools, impacted businesses are unable to provide employment, and in general the usual family routine is turned upside down. Families are accommodated in make-shift shelters and valuable possessions and keepsakes are lost forever,” says alumna Barbara Turley-McIntyre, MEB 2014 and Vice President of Sustainability & Citizenship at The Co-operators Group Ltd. This is not sustainable.
Partners for Action (P4A) was initially created in Barbara’s ENBUS 642 coursework in the Masters of Environment & Business program at the Faculty of Environment. The course called for a project to develop multi-stakeholder partnerships. In 2015, founding partners The Co-operators Group Ltd. and Farm Mutual Re, came together and contributed $1.1 million to formally establish P4A as an applied research network at the University of Waterloo advancing flood resiliency in Canada. Turley-McIntyre says the founders were drawn to the Faculty of Environment because of its “unique, innovative, and flexible approach to research and teaching through a good balance of academic and applied learning”.
Today, P4A brings together key stakeholders and engages a diverse group of partners such as the Canadian Red Cross, the Insurance Bureau of Canada, municipalities and Canadians to combat flood resiliency issues. “Flood resiliency is a multifaceted problem that is increasing,” says Turley-McIntyre.
It requires a whole of society solution including businesses, all levels of government, non-governmental organizations, academia and citizens. Each group has an important role to play.
Municipal governments are at the forefront of action with their direct responsibility for emergency response and recovery, but as Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic says, “We cannot do this in isolation.” Vrbanovic is the former president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, and his area of focus includes emphasizing the importance of communication and engagement with the public on climate action. “The city of Kitchener is very actively engaged in climate change resiliency,” he says. “In addition to setting targets for emissions and other sustainability measures, we are involved with Climate Action Waterloo Region, which puts the power in the hands of the people through its door-to-door outreach and participatory programs.”
In the same way, P4A is dedicated to increasing awareness and informing residents on how to make their homes and communities more resilient to climate change and extreme weather events, driving the collective action of individuals to achieve a common goal.
“When forming P4A The Co-operators placed the issue of flood resiliency at the centre, engaging Canadians and diverse sectors to come together to find solutions,” says Turley-McIntyre. After selecting the Faculty of Environment as the home for P4A, The Co-operators and Farm Mutual Re continued to support P4A’s research and networking efforts to assist Canadians to better understand their risk and ways to protect their properties and communities.
In a recent P4A study, Canadian Voices on Changing Flood Risk, the research identified that homeowners are unaware of their exposure to flooding. There is still much work ahead, according to Shawna Peddle, P4A’s Director, as “only six percent of Canadians who live in flood prone areas are aware of their risk.” This network seeks to support communities and citizens in understanding their risk and taking action to prevent further damage. “It takes a village to make our communities more resilient to any kind of stressor,” says Peddle.
The Faculty of Environment is pleased to announce the renewal for a further three years of The Co-operators commitment aiming to help drive forward P4A’s work toward flood resilient communities. “It will take courageous leadership and strong partnerships to combat the challenges of climate change” says Turley-McIntyre. “As an alumna of the University of Waterloo, I have great confidence that together we are on the right path to solving one of the most pressing issues facing Canadian communities today.”
