Climate change continues to bring challenges that municipalities need to face head-on and manage proactively. The City’s Climate Change Adaptation Strategy and Implementation Plan were developed to address the physical, economic, social, and ecological impacts of climate change.
The full list of goals and their implementation status is outlined below and in the Climate Actions document.
Cross-Cutting Actions
Cross-cutting actions apply to a variety of goals. By taking a more holistic approach to maintaining more effective, efficient and sustainable application of resources, the City uses actions to integrate climate change considerations into existing plans, policies and decision-making frameworks.
| Action | Implementation Status |
|---|---|
| Incorporate climate change into the Official Plan. | Ongoing |
| Integrate climate change considerations into Barrie’s existing plans and policies. | Ongoing |
| Empower residents and businesses of the City’s climate change efforts through education and awareness. Develop education initiatives for residents and businesses to create awareness of the City’s climate change efforts. | Ongoing |
Goals & Actions
Barrie will experience more severe and potentially life-threatening weather and climate changes (e.g. extreme heat and freezing rain events) and impacts due to vector-borne diseases (e.g. West Nile and Lyme disease) which are expected to increase in the future.
Source: Climate Actions document Action Implementation Status Enhance public communications regarding road conditions and municipal
facility closures during extreme weather events.Ongoing Obtain blue flag certifications for all of Barrie’s beaches. In progress Continue to communicate beach closures and swimming advisories to the
public.Ongoing Support the continued implementation of Barrie’s Geese Management
Program.Ongoing Follow the Ministry of Labour recommendations for Threshold Limit
Values (TLVs) to reduce heat or cold stress when working in extreme
temperatures and maintain productivity.Ongoing Partner with Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit to address climate
change considerations in food-security communications and
programming.Ongoing Consider impacts and risks of increased disease vectors in design and
operation of stormwater infrastructure (e.g. avoiding ponding/standing
water)Ongoing As a result of changing climate conditions, the City has experienced more incidents of basement flooding, cracked foundations and damaged landscapes. More frequent extreme weather events, overland flooding and changes to freeze-thaw cycles affect the way in which buildings and landscapes are designed, constructed, managed and maintained.
Source: Climate Actions document Action Implementation Status Promote higher building standards which reflect climate projections by
updating by-laws, development guidelines, and zoning regulations.Upcoming Develop an education and incentive program to promote lot level
stormwater controls (e.g. rain barrels, rain gardens, downspout
disconnections, etc.).Ongoing Enhance Barrie’s Disconnect to Protect rebate program to reduce inflow
and infiltration to City sewers from private property.Ongoing Develop a communications campaign with messaging to residents on lot-level resiliency actions (e.g. green roofs, shade structures, rain gardens,
etc.).Ongoing Develop an outreach program to teach residents what they can do to
reduce snowmelt flooding on their property.Ongoing Enhance Barrie’s Disconnect to Protect rebate program to reduce inflow and infiltration to City sewers from private property. Ongoing Update the City’s Sanitary Inflow and Infiltration Reduction Program. Ongoing Evaluate and recommend opportunities to reduce flood risks by increasing stormwater management in new and existing parking developments. Ongoing Explore possibilities of implementing stormwater management facilities within existing developed watersheds to reduce flooding where needed. Ongoing Recent climate events, such as increased rainfall intensity causing runoff and erosion leading to washouts, have offered insight into what continued changes might mean for Barrie’s infrastructure.
Recognizing that climate change will strain Barrie’s critical infrastructure, the City is committed to strengthening the resilience of its infrastructure systems while managing water naturally through the protection of wetlands and greenspace.
Strengthening the integrity of City infrastructure to climate change and other factors is necessary to prevent disruptions of essential services and ensure safety of the community.
Source: Climate Actions document Action Implementation Status Increase staff and/or resources to maintain and preserve road surfaces. Ongoing Increase natural/forested areas within subwatersheds with high surcharge and flooding Upcoming Manage a comprehensive operations, maintenance and inspection program for stormwater infrastructure. In progress Conduct stormwater drainage area inspections to identify areas of potential risk for debris blockage and dams. In progress Improve sediment and erosion control from construction activities through improved inspections, reporting and operational controls. In progress Develop an inspection policy for high-risk infrastructure to identify any damage from major storm and extreme weather events. Upcoming Investigate and apply methods of incorporating climate change considerations into infrastructure (grey, green, and urban forests) asset management. In progress Develop and implement a plan to regularly update the rain IntensityDuration- Frequency (IDF) curve to reflect the geographic areas of the municipality and changing climate parameters. Upcoming Develop engineering policy for regularly updating design standards to Up-coming reflect new climate change projections. Upcoming Update engineering policy and standards to encourage design that includes consideration of the potential impacts of climate change. Upcoming Investigate and explore opportunities to promote the collection and recycling of greywater and stormwater on private property and City facilities. Upcoming Explore the possibility of implementing a stormwater utility/rebate in Barrie to manage and operate stormwater infrastructure. In progress Improve stormwater infrastructure capacity as part of renewal projects. Ongoing Climate change can pose significant risks to businesses, not only for their operations, but also to their suppliers, employees, customers and people living in the areas in which they operate. The City will help local businesses and the tourism industry in adapting to climate change impacts to ensure the continuity of their operations, improve their ability to reduce and manage risk, and build and maintain a positive reputation in the community.
Source: Climate Actions document Action Implementation Status Improve communications to local businesses on their role in the maintenance of sidewalks, appropriate salt application rates and best management practices during freezing rain or snow events. In progress Assess new opportunities for different forms of tourism as a result of changing climate conditions. In progress Establish a local best practice network (e.g. business continuity, green business practices, adaptation measures, etc.) and provide guidance for businesses. Upcoming Provide guidance to local business on how to maintain business continuity (e.g. supply chain) during extreme weather events. Upcoming Climate change directly affects ecosystems by creating favorable climatic conditions for the spread of invasive species, causing environmental damage due to extreme weather events, while simultaneously interacting with other human stressors.
The City will take steps to further protect and enhance ecosystems’ functions and services as increases in rainfall intensity leads to overburdened stormwater ponds, or an increased frequency of winter events requiring the use of de-icing products.
Source: Climate Actions document Action Implementation Status Develop incentives, standards and permitting processes to enhance green space, green roofs, and tree canopy on private and public properties. Upcoming Collect data on the urban canopy to develop baseline information and direction for a future Urban Forest Management Plan. Ongoing Develop an Urban Forest Management Plan with specific greening strategies for areas of the City where tree canopy/greenspace is low. Ongoing Develop partnerships and funding strategies to control invasive species. Upcoming Support the identification and mapping of invasive species as part of the Urban Forest Strategy. Upcoming Increase education and communication to public about invasive species (e.g. dog strangling vine, garlic mustard, round goby, zebra mussels, and quagga mussels). Upcoming Explore the possibility of implementing a Naturals Area and Trails Master Plan that includes initiatives to reduce erosion, improve creek and ravine health and promote native vegetation and biodiversity. Upcoming Support the implementation of road salt handling, storage and application best management practices to optimize salt used by the City, businesses and residents. Ongoing Increase Low Impact Development (LID) technologies throughout the City and update engineering policy and standards accordingly. Ongoing Frequent occurrences of extreme weather could hinders people’s routines and day-to-day activities, while posing safety risks to drivers or people using outdoor recreational spaces. Recognizing the ability of the City to efficiently deliver services to residents will be under pressure due to changing climatic conditions, the City will take measures to ensure that the needs of the community are met and disruption to core services are minimized.
Source: Climate Actions document Action Implementation Status Develop a communication tool (e.g. an app) which tells residents the plowing/sanding/salting of roads in order to plan routes for driving in hazardous conditions. Complete Mandate the use of snow tires on all City vehicles during winter months. Upcoming Continue to treat roads using anti-icing/de-icing liquids where practical to reduce sodium chloride usage and engage in continuous research on best practices for winter control. Ongoing Continue to implement winter control measures (snow removal and deicing) on waterfront park and community park pathways and parking lots. Ongoing Enhance communication plans between departments (e.g. Environmental Operations, Roads, Parks, and Fleet, Emergency Management, etc.) to ensure efficient response and clean-up during extreme weather events. Ongoing Increase preventative maintenance and inspection of trees on public property (e.g. tree pruning, removal of diseased/hazardous trees, On-going 6.6 proactive planting in strategic areas) in order to reduce damage to the urban forest caused by extreme weather events. Ongoing Plant trees in strategic areas to reduce wind pressure and serve as windbreaks where feasible. Ongoing Expand Barrie’s Road Weather Information System (RWIS) network and take advantage of new and advanced road conditions sensing technology to enhance winter maintenance actions. Complete Operationalize alternative work arrangements (e.g. Stay-at-home days/shifted/flex) that eliminate commuting during extreme weather events and hazardous road conditions. Ongoing Climate change poses a variety of risks to the community, ranging from flooding, to extreme heat and cold, to habitat loss, and property damage. To ensure that the City of Barrie is able to withstand and recover from the impacts of climate change, it is important to build and maintain community resilience.
Source: Climate Actions document Action Implementation Status Conduct education and outreach to developers to encourage the use of Low Impact Development (LID) technologies. Ongoing Increase education to residents on planting urban gardens with native species that provide habitat and enhance local biodiversity. Upcoming Encourage natural and constructed shade, cooling structures and spaces (e.g. recreational/sprinkler community water parks) on public and private property. Ongoing Support ongoing community initiatives that address extreme heat and cold. Upcoming Create naturalized and edible landscapes on City land using existing resources. Ongoing Continue with active tree planting, community partnerships and naturalization programs as outlined in the Urban Forest Strategy. Ongoing
Frequently Asked Questions
Climate Change Adaptation refers to any action that seeks to reduce vulnerability to the local climate change impacts. Mitigation refers to measures that aim to address the root causes of climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The City has undertaken several initiatives to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions. While mitigation efforts aim to reduce the long-term effects of global warming, adaptation measures are needed to minimize impacts of a changing climate. Adaptation is not meant to replace or undermine mitigation efforts. It’s a proactive way to protect from expected impacts and avoid high costs of remediating damages.
Climate change is expected to lead to warmer winters and longer summers. Average annual precipitation is expected to rise, with an increase in precipitation falling in the winter, spring, and fall and a decrease falling in the summer. It is expected that water resources will be put under stress both from a quantity and quality perspective, especially with the expected increase of temperatures and prolonged drought periods. Lower stream baseflows and soil moisture will have an impact on food security.
Everyone can play a part in reducing the need for fossil fuels and participate in creating a cleaner, more green and sustainable future. Encouraging greener ways to commute, supporting local businesses and farmers, upcycling materials and using energy efficient items are just a handful of ways that we can help to reduce climate change.
Greenhouse gases (GHGs) can be both naturally occurring and created by humans. There are six primary GHGs found in the atmosphere: Water Vapour (H20), Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4), Nitrous Oxide (N2O), Ozone (O3) and Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). GHGs are essential in the atmosphere because they allow the heat from the Sun to pass through and warm the Earth but do not let the heat pass back through into space. This is what has allowed the Earth to sustain life. The issue surrounding Climate Change and GHGs, is that because of human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels and intense agriculture, the natural balance has been affected, resulting in a higher concentration of GHGs now found in the atmosphere.