Canada’s Emergency Management Strategy & National Risk Profile: Exploring Federal-Provincial Collaboration- Symposium Sprint Two Launch & Initiatives in Focus Session

November 2, 9am-12pm

Convened by Malaika Ulmi (NRCan), with Stéphanie Durand (PSC), Rory Gilsenan (NRCan), Mike Norton (NRCan), Dave Peterson (EMBC), Brad Stennes (NRCan), Paula McLeod (NRCan), and Doris Fortin (ECCC)

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• This session will ‘reboot’ the programming  by providing a short reflection on what we’ve heard so far in the 2020 programming and featuring a second set of Ignite talks which will be given by representatives from each "initiative in focus" session. Local artists will contribute to launching our work together. 

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• It will also include an "initiative in focus" session that will look at the national risk profile. The National Risk Profile is a Budget 2019 initiative that will improve Canada’s ability to predict and respond to natural hazards, including enhancing our understanding of the nature of the risks posed by floods, wildfires and earthquakes. This session will socialize the work taking place as part of the hazard-specific initiatives within the National Risk Profile, and discuss with the audience where connection points may be to their work. 

Grounding our Resilience through Indigenous Approaches to Wellness: Teachings on Cedar as a Sacred Medicine- Initiatives in Focus Session

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November 2, 1:00-2:30pm

Convened by Emily Dicken (First Nations Health Authority)

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• Perspectives on Indigenous resilience are as varied and diverse as the distinct communities where this knowledge is held. Narratives of resilience are rooted in culturally unique concepts that are nested within the richness of Indigenous languages, protocols and knowledge. Through the sharing of teachings on cedar as a sacred medicine, this session aims to honour a space of wellness through a dialogue grounded in strategies of Indigenous resilience.

Test-driving a Rapid Damage Assessment Methodology for British Columbia Earthquakes- Initiatives in Focus Session

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November 3, 9-11am

Convened by Tiegan Hoobs (NRCan), with Murray Journeay (NRCan), Tiegan Hobbs (NRCan), and Gurdeep Singh (Province of BC- GeoBC)

• NRCan and GeoBC present a new initiative to develop a rapid disaster model for earthquakes in British Columbia (BC). We will explore best practice and the feasibility of using rapidly available seismic data in the existing OpenQuake Canada framework to report on key metrics for early response: collapsed buildings, entrapment injuries, hospital demand surge, roadway debris which may block response, and immediate mass care needs like shelter requirements. These indicators, which would likely be available within an hour of the earthquake, will be ported to the GeoBC Common Operating Picture, the online portal for authoritative and coordinated distribution of emergency management information in the province.

Finance in Focus: Incentivizing Investment in Risk Reduction and Adaptation- Dialogue Session

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November 3, 1-2:30pm

Moderated by Tamsin Mills (City of Vancouver), with Ujala Qadir (Climate Bonds), BC Financial Services Authority, Matt Osler (City of Surrey) 

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• This session will focus on funding and financial incentives for risk reduction/adaptation. Based on the tensions and incentives identified in the initiatives in focus sessions, what are the ‘big moves’ when it comes to funding/financing risk reduction and CCA efforts and projects? While climate risk disclosures and resilience ratings will drive the market, how do we ensure equitable shares in resilience dividends?

Development in Hazardous Areas:  Supporting Development that Reduces Disaster Risk and Adapts to Climate Change - Initiatives in Focus Session

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November 10, 9-11am

Convened by Katie Olthuis (Province of BC- ENV), and Andrew Giles (Province of BC- EMBC)

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• Explore how we can make risk-based development decisions in the face of changing hazards and risks.

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• Join Emergency Management BC, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy’s Climate Action Secretariat and other practitioners in an interactive session focusing on what is needed to shift development patterns in hazardous areas.

Resilient Infrastructure in the Age of the Anthropocene- Dialogue Session

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Nov 10, 1-2:30pm 

With Roy Brooke (Municipal Natural Assets Initiative-MNAI), Mikhail V Chester (School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University), Matt Osler (City of Surrey- Living Dikes project), moderated by Kristy McConnel (Mott MacDonald & PIBCs 2020 award winner for Young Professional Leadership)

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• This session will look at infrastructure through the lens of the multiple challenges and opportunities we currently face in an era of unprecedented change and disaster risk: from funding and asset management, governance of centralized grids, multihazard considerations in the Lower Mainland (flood and seismic risk reduction/resilience) and the collaboration and innovation required to foster resilient infrastructure through approaches such as decentralization and shoring up blue-green assets.

Towards Best Practices in Developing Coastal Flood Scenarios for Adaptation and Risk Reduction- Initiatives in Focus Session

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November 17- 9-11am

Convened by Jackie Yip (NRCan), Nicky Hastings (NRCan), with Enda Murphy (NRC), Nikki Elliott (Capital Regional District), Olympia Koziatek (City Of Victoria Emergency Management) and David Forde (Associated Engineering) 

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• The capacity for coastal flood risk assessment to inform decision-making is largely dictated by the range and magnitude of the flood scenarios considered. This session will showcase coastal flood risk assessments completed by several distinctly different communities, with a focus on the scenario selection process, associated challenges, resources and effort required, and the capacity to support decision-making related to current and future coastal flood risk. Feedback provided by participants will help shape and enhance the applicability of a number of flood-related guidelines currently being developed.

Exploration and Feedback on Risk Modelling Web Platform (OpenDRR Risk Profiler)- Initiatives in Focus Session

November 17, 1-3pm

Convened by Murray Journeay (NRCan)  

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• This session specifically addresses recommendations coming from previous UR sessions regarding the use of web-based platforms and information visualization to help promote a shared understanding of risk to support a broad range of risk management decisions by individuals, businesses and organizations. NRCan is in the process of developing the RiskProfiler application and is intending to use this session as a means of giving the end user communities an opportunity to help shape the final outputs.

Data Management Approaches and Platforms in BC: Defining a Path Forward for BCs DRR Hub- Initiatives in Focus Session

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November 24th, 9-11am 

Convened by Sahar Safaie (Sage Consulting and DRR Pathways Project Team) 

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• The purpose of this session is to present results of a study being carried out to take stock of existing hazard and risk information and explore strategies for how to make this information more accessible to researchers and practitioners in BC. This work ties into broader initiatives led by the Province of BC and various federal agencies (NRCan, StatsCan, etc.). Participants will hear an overview of the available data management platforms and approaches in BC (GeoBC, NRCan, FLRNO, private sector, etc), get into the challenges and issues related to data standards, legislation, and data platforms current status/function/API connections/and Gaps and help identify how the Hub can play a role in connecting them and filling the gaps to serve the DRR community.

URBC 2020 Wrap Up: Report Back on Session Highlights, Revisit Risk Reduction Targets, Next Steps for BC’s Resilience Roadmap

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November 24, 1-4pm

With Jessica Shoubridge (UR Organizing Committee), Susanna Haas Lyons (UR Organizing Committee), Andrew Pape Salmon (BC Govt), & representatives from each ‘Initiative in Focus Session’

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• Hear key highlights from session conveners, reflections on how ‘big moves ‘ can be implemented to advance a less risky, more resilient future for Southwest BC and what that road map looks like for continuing to advance collaboration and innovation.