Item - 2016.PE15.2

The Parks and Environment Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council receive the report (November 2, 2016) from the Chief Corporate Officer for information.

The following gave a presentation to the Parks and Environment Committee on Resilient City - Preparing for a Changing Climate - Status Update and Next Steps:

-  the Manager, Environment, Environmental Implementation and Support, Environment and Energy; and

-  the Project Lead - Environment, Environmental Implementation and Support, Environment and Energy.

Toronto has and is forecast to experience altered patterns of extreme weather as a result of climate change. Enhancing the resilience of Toronto’s infrastructure and services to these changing weather patterns to reduce the risk of damage and associated costs, injury and emergency situations is a priority of City Council.

In 2014, City Council adopted the Climate Change Risk Management Policy outlining responsibilities and a governance structure for implementing the policy. Council also directed that staff report back on the status of implementation of the policy in 2016.

Implementation of the policy has been guided by use of a Thematic Area High Level Risk Assessment (HLRA) approach, designed by the cross-corporate Resilient City Work Group to:

-  identify and assess potential risks of climate change and associated extreme weather events;

-  define the interdependencies between key infrastructure and service providers, both private and public sector; and

-  outline the actions that could be taken to mitigate priority risks.

Over the past year, High Level Risk Assessments (HLRA) have been undertaken in three Thematic Areas: Utilities, Transportation and Water, in close collaboration with City divisions, as well as external private and broader public sector organizations. To date, work has involved City Planning, Environment and Energy, Engineering and Construction Services, Toronto Water, Toronto Public Health, Transportation Services, Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), Toronto Hydro, Metrolinx, Hydro One, Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), Enwave, Enbridge, and representatives of the telecom sector. This report presents the key findings of the HLRA process, including a discussion of risks and interdependencies.

The HLRA process has brought together City operations with private and broader public sector service providers to identify, assess and develop solutions to improve Toronto’s resilience to climate change. The HLRA needs to continue to ensure the process is completed for the other seven thematic areas. For this work to continue, the Environment and Energy Division will require additional resources to restore staffing to 2016 levels to deliver on full implementation of the Resilient City Initiative.

This report also provides an update on:

-  adoption of a Climate Change Risk Management Policy by key City Agencies and Corporations, as directed by Council in 2014;

-  an update on the adaptation actions outlined in the 2014 Resilient City - Preparing for a Changing Climate Staff Report, plus new actions;

-  the development of the Extreme Weather Portal; and

-  the preparation of guidelines for back-up power in multi-residential buildings.

It is important to note that this report focuses on improving Toronto's resilience to extreme weather for the purposes of reducing or mitigating the risk of damage, injury and emergency situations. Extreme weather, while changing in frequency and severity due to climate change, is only one of many risks that the City must consider in building up its resilience to extreme shocks. The outcomes of the HLRA will be provided to the City’s Toronto Emergency Management and Preparedness Committee (TEMPC) for discussion within the context of other risk management scenarios and evaluations.