About

A Call to Action for a Climate and Disaster Resilient BC

The BC Climate Resilience Summit 2025 was a 1.5 day event designed to foster cross-sectoral dialogue with the ultimate aim of enhancing resilience across various sectors. It brought together stakeholders from government, academia, insurance and finance, small and medium size businesses, and other key industries and sectors to explore cross-cutting themes in climate risk management, low carbon resilience and disaster risk reduction. The summit featured a lineup of leaders in the climate resilience space and resulted in a communique that clearly outlines needs and opportunities for advancing climate and disaster resilience in the province.

We were grateful to host this event from the traditional and unceded territories of the Coast Salish people; xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam) Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh). We welcomed participation and leadership from all indigenous people and were proud to offer participation support for all who wanted to contribute.

The Full Program is available here

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Session Highlights are as follows:

*Welcome to the territory with Squamish Ocean Canoe Family

*URBC Recap & Reflections. With Jessica Shoubridge (URBC & BC CRS Program Lead 2016-present)

* Interactive Workshop- Retrofit Financing: Mobilizing Blended Finance to Support the Health, Safety & Resilience of Residents Living in Apartments & Condos in BC. Led by Shauna Sylvester, Urban Climate Leadership.

* Climate Science, Climate Scenarios & Showcase of Local, Regional, and National Risk Assessments: Moderated by Tamsin Mills (PINNA Sustainability)

Showcase of Federal and Regional Climate Scenarios, with Eva Gnegy (ECCC)
National Risk Assessment (Julie Van de Valk, Public Safety Canada)
Regional Risk Assessment for Extreme Heat, with Jamie Blackley (LGeo) & Maia Carolsfeld (Capital Regional District)
Open Source Seismic Modelling/ Insured vs. Uninsured Losses, with Tiegan Hobbs (GSC/NRCan)
City-wide Risk Assessment for Seismic Hazard, with Micah Hilt (City of Vancouver)

*Leadership in Climate Action: Sharing Lessons Learned in Building Coalitions for Low Carbon Resilience: Moderated by: Kookai Chaimahawong (Sauder Centre for Climate & Business Solutions)

*Keynote Talk/Q&A with John Vaillant, Vancouver-based author of "Fire Weather: The Making of a Beast": Moderated Q/A with Justin Bull (Sauder Centre for Climate & Business Solutions)

* Transformations to Coexist with Wildfire in BC: Moderated by: Dr. Robin Freeman (SFU Centre for Dialogue, Mitigating Wildfire Initiative)

*The Climate Crisis is a Health Crisis: Supporting Health & Well-being in an Age of Disruption: Moderated by Arianna Cruz (Vancouver Coastal Health)

* Insurance Affordability, Availability & Advancing the Incentivization Agenda in BC. Fireside chat with Maryam Golnaraghi (Geneva Association), Sarah Miller (Canadian Climate Institute) & Ujala Qadir (Climate Bonds Inititaive): Moderated by George Benson (ZEIC)

New Report! Safeguarding Home Insurance: Reducing exposure and vulnerability to extreme weather (Geneva Association, May 2025)

* Risk Governance in BC: Unlocking the Capital & Building the Collaborations Needed to Build a More Resilient Climate Future: Moderated by Jessica Shoubridge (Principal & Founder, Thrive Consulting)

Featuring: Eliana Chia (FBC), Corey Anderson & Rachelle Carey (CRD), Ethan Raker & Amy Kim (UBC DRRN), and Kris Holm (BGC Engineering)

* Innovation Showcase, Featuring:

Climate Insights Tool for Medium-small Communities in Canada, with Josh Kelly (ICLEI)
Multi-hazard Climate Resilient Retrofits, with Sharmalene Mendes Millard (Partners for Action)
Realizing Resilient Buildings in B.C. A Toolkit for Local Governments, with Wilma Leung (BC Housing)
Business continuity laws in the context of climate change in Canada, Australia and the UK, with Marion Benkaiouche (SFU)
Low Carbon Resilience Retrofitting: from the Parcel to the Portfolio, with Julianne Pickrell-Barr (PRISM Engineering)
Physical Climate Risk Assessment for Engineers and Geoscientists BC’s Head Office, with Laura Simandl (RDH Building Science)
Adaptation & Resilience Planning for NPOs in BC, with Natalie Hill (SPUR Communications)
Urban Data Lab, with Mike Kennedy (Sauder Climate Centre)
and more!

NOW AVAILABLE
BCCRS 2025 Outcomes Report

Date
1:00pm - 7:30pm,
March 3rd, 2025

9:00am - 6:30pm,
March 4th, 2025

In person
Day 1 and Day 2:
UBC Robson Square Theatre, Vancouver

The traditional and unceded territories of the Coast Salish people; xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam) Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh)

(Times subject to change)

Building on the URBC Legacy...

BCCRS 2025 in the Media!

Mini-story featured on CJSF 90.1 FM (March 11, 2025)

Listen Here!

Professional Learning Credits

Engineers and Geoscientists of BC: One hour of activity at the Summit is eligible as one informal professional development hour for Engineers and Geoscientists BC registrants.

AIBC registrants are eligible to self-report for learning units (LUs).

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Featuring Contributions From:

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Don Iveson served as Edmonton's 35th Mayor from 2013 to 2021, championing a long-term vision to create a more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient future for the next generation. Under his leadership, Edmonton advanced transformation initiative, including the pro-density City Plan, the Energy Transition Strategy with Canada's first municipal carbon budget, and a nation-leading flood mitigation strategy. On the national stage, Don's tenure as Chair of Canada's Big City Mayors saw him shaping the National Housing Strategy, driving commitments to end chronic homelessness, and steering cities through the COVID crisis. A passionate advocate for reconciliation, he served as an Honourary Witness to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and implemented Canada's first trauma-informed Indigenous awareness training for a major city government.

Since retiring from municipal office, Don founded Civic Good, a public policy advisory practice focused on climate resilience, housing affordability, and governance innovation, with clients ranging from startups to governments. He serves as Executive Advisor for Climate Investing and Community Resilience at Co-operators and as Chairperson of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. Recently, he co-chaired the Task Force on Housing and Climate and completed a two-year appointment as a School of Cities Canadian Urban Leader at the University of Toronto, where he co-developed the Metropolitan Mindset initiative. A dedicated volunteer, Don serves as Board Co-Chair of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness. With deep roots in Edmonton, Don remains committed to building vibrant, equitable communities across Canada, driven by a vision of a better future for his children and all Canadians.

Don Iveson,

The Co-operators