A toolkit to help First Nations communities manage and mitigate future impacts of climate change on their infrastructure and people

First Nations Infrastructure Resilience Toolkit

In Ontario, extreme weather continues to cause disruptions and damage to the infrastructure communities require to provide essential services to their residents. The Ontario First Nations Technical Services Corporation (OFNTSC) worked with our team on developing a toolkit to help First Nations communities manage and mitigate future effects of climate change on their infrastructure and people.

The toolkit provides guidance on how to incorporate climate risks into sound asset management practices to better plan maintenance, repairs and replacement of community assets. It was adapted from Engineers Canada’s Public Infrastructure Engineering Vulnerability Committee (PIEVC) protocol to make it applicable to First Nation communities. By using Traditional Knowledge and available infrastructure data (ACRS and ICMS databases), the toolkit is scalable, adaptable, and can be applied to any First Nations communities throughout Ontario and beyond.

The toolkit was developed in collaboration with three First Nations communities: Mohawk Council of Akwesasne, Moose Cree First Nation, and Oneida Nation of the Thames.