Building Resilience: Planning for Extreme Weather and Community Recovery

Extreme weather events have become more frequent and severe in Canada, causing significant impacts to communities. Disaster recovery can be lengthy, expensive and may disrupt the very core of a community for generations. When these emergencies happen, local governments must lead immediate response efforts and continue providing local services while also planning for community recovery and the rebuilding of infrastructure.

This is why prioritizing emergency preparedness measures and planning for community recovery before a disaster strikes is essential. Engaging project management structures early on enhances coordination and ensures smooth operations among involved organizations through efficient thought leadership and effective project delivery.

Supporting Communities at Every Stage

Disasters can be unpredictable and strike at any time. Our Climate Readiness and Community Recovery services support you through every phase, whether you’re in the Mitigation & Preparedness stage or navigating Post-Disaster Recovery & Response. No matter where you are in the process, our team is here to help.

We Can Help.

We’re here to help your community plan for disasters and manage recovery, so your team can focus on the everyday needs of your residents. Our experienced project managers offer support in key areas, including:

Community recovery, including early integration and Emergency Operations Centers (EOC) support, damage assessment, project scoping, and recovery team development
Critical infrastructure resilience and emergency continuity of operations
Adaptive resilience and continuity planning
Feasibility studies and capital and program investment road mapping
Emergency management program gaps analysis and development
Project planning and procurement
Project leadership and reporting
Funding source and budget development

With our expertise, we can guide your municipality through climate challenges and unexpected events, ensuring you’re well-prepared and able to recover quickly.

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Expert solutions to get your Climate Readiness and Community Recovery programs up and running:

Governance Services

✔ Policy Development & Advocacy
✔ Funding & Grant Management
✔ Monitoring & Evaluation
✔ Program Management
✔ Options Analysis
✔ Capacity Building
✔ Regulatory Compliance
✔ Stakeholder Engagement
✔ Strategic Planning

Technical Solutions

✔ Emergency & Continuity Planning
✔ Infrastructure Resilience
✔ Water Management
✔ Environmental Impact Assessments
✔ Procurement & Budget Dev.
✔ Sustainable Urban Planning
✔ Technology Integration
✔ Risk Assessment & Gaps Analysis
✔ Energy Efficiency

Project Highlights

(Click on the project name to learn more)

In November 2021, the City of Merritt was severely impacted by flooding, which forced the evacuation of over 7,000 residents and disrupted essential services. With support from various levels of government and multiple agencies, the City of Merritt began to lead an accelerated community recovery program, focusing on rebuilding critical infrastructure and providing both permanent and temporary housing. Over $60 million was allocated to develop and implement a comprehensive flood mitigation plan, with Colliers Project Leaders offering expertise in disaster recovery project management and infrastructure resilience solutions to support the city’s long-term climate resilience and preparedness.
After the destructive Bush Creek East and Adams Lake wildfires, the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) focused on rebuilding and recovery, with priorities like debris management, geohazard assessments, and infrastructure reconstruction. Colliers Project Leaders has been working closely with the CSRD, providing crucial support in project planning, managing budgets, and facilitating collaboration across teams and stakeholders. Our team plays a key role in ensuring the community recovery program aligns with the community’s vision while overseeing financial tracking, procurement, and long-term climate resilience for the region.
The City of Fort St. John contracted Colliers Project Leaders to update its Emergency Evacuation Plan to ensure compliance with BC’s Emergency and Disaster Management Act and enhance its role as a Host Community during mass evacuations. The review focused on strengthening partnerships, improving operational resources, and developing a Gap Analysis and Roadmap to align the city’s emergency preparedness and business continuity planning with national standards and CSA Guidelines.
After a 2018 wildfire evacuation, the City of Kimberley focused on improving community safety and preparedness by updating its Emergency Management and Business Continuity Plan to comply with the Emergency & Disaster Management Act (EDMA) and address climate readiness. Colliers Project Leaders conducted a thorough analysis, delivering a Risk and Gap Analysis Roadmap with strategic recommendations to enhance emergency preparedness, improve resource planning, and strengthen the city’s resilience for future emergencies.
The Kashechewan First Nation is relocating to Site Five, with a project that includes managing the planning, design, and construction of an all-weather gravel road and a temporary winter road to ensure reliable access during the transition.

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“I was very satisfied with the way our project was handled. Colliers Project Leaders has now set the bar for our expectations from other contractors.” Will Booth, Fire Chief and Emergency Program Coordinator, City of Kimberley.

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Climate-related disasters are no longer rare, isolated events. From coast to coast, weather events are challenging Canadian municipalities, forcing them to rebuild and reshape their communities, ecosystems and economies. As these events become more frequent, municipalities are working hard to build the knowledge, resources and plans required to respond to community needs quickly and effectively.

Learn the top 10 strategies Canadian municipalities can use to strengthen climate readiness and community recovery.