Keyword Community

Winter is central to the Canadian prairie identity. It’s the defining season for a people whose common enemy is also their strength. The long cold snowy winter is also important to economies and ecosystems. And that winter is changing. Set to the backdrop of the Nestaweya River Trail, one of Canada’s longest skating trails, resilient settlers and newcomers alike talk about adapting to a world where the joys of the season are shrinking and what that will mean for future generations.   Recommended Video Citation Climate Atlas of Canada. (2024). Snowball effect: Warmer winters mean changing identities. Prairie Climate Centre. https://climateatlas.ca/video/snowball-effect

What can you do when everyday you wake up and don’t know what the future will look like? When everything around you is already falling apart. When your generation's future is having to deal with the climate crisis. Youth activists talk about connecting and organising with other young people as a way to channel climate anxiety and despair. Hope is active and lies in the community.   Recommended Video Citation Climate Atlas of Canada. (2022). We Didn't Start the Fire: Youth Activism, Climate Crisis and Mental Health. Prairie Climate Centre. https://climateatlas.ca/video/we-didnt-start-fire

Wind-swept, remote, and jaw-droppingly beautiful. These are Quebec’s Îles-de-la-Madeleine. A narrow archipelago, surrounded on all sides by the unpredictable waters of the Gulf of St Lawrence, the islands are home to just under 13,000 souls who live mainly from fishing and tourism. Like many small islands around the globe, the consequences of climate change are altering life here dramatically. Islanders are coming together to grapple with this reality and find local solutions, and are asking hard questions about the future.

When wildfires are at your community’s door, there’s only one thing to do: evacuate. As communities are uprooted and fires are being fought, people are put under extreme stress that leads to both short- and long-term mental health impacts.

In August 2018, British Columbia declared a provincial state of emergency due to forest fires. At its peak, there were over 560 wildfires burning in the province. The smoke from the fires travelled thousands of kilometres, causing air quality warnings to be issued across BC, Alberta, and as far away as southern Manitoba.[1]

Many Canadians welcome the arrival of hot summer days as respite from our long, cold winters. Understandably, we tend to think of more summer heat as a good thing. But too much heat can be dangerous.

We often think about climate change as something abstract or remote. We hear scientists talking about melting ice caps, see images of drought in faraway places, or browse through news coverage of exotic weather disasters. But climate change is having effects right here and right now in Canada. And the risks aren’t just theoretical or abstract. The effects of climate change promise to be up close and personal, affecting the everyday lives and health of Canadians. As Jeff Eyamie of Health Canada says, “The most immediate and personal impact of climate change is the health impact.”

The Métis village of Green Lake may seem small, but they have big ambitions. The community started a solar energy project and installed 96 solar panels on their community hall. As Mayor Ric Richardson describes, Métis people have “used the sun for generations,” so the opportunity for renewable energy development was warmly welcomed by community members. Through this Métis leadership, Green Lake generates cheaper and more reliable power, which creates connection to the land, educational opportunities for the community, and is a source of both clean energy and cultural pride.   Recommended Video Citation Climate Atlas of Canada. (2019). First Métis community-owned solar project in Canada: Renewables, culture, and community pride. Prairie Climate Centre. https://climateatlas.ca/video/first-metis-community-owned-solar-project-canada

“It’s been nothing but positive,” says Chief Cadmus Delorme about the Cowessess First Nation wind-battery project, located just outside of Regina. In this video, community members describe the project’s significance for environmental responsibility, community pride, and local sustainable economies. The community has now developed a 320KW solar farm on the site, making the first known wind-solar battery storage project in the country, and Chief Delorme says they’re “hungry for more.”   Recommended Video Citation Climate Atlas of Canada. (2019). Wind Power on the Prairies: Groundbreaking wind-battery storage. Prairie Climate Centre. https://climateatlas.ca/video/wind-power-prairies

The Lubicon Cree Nation of northern Alberta are leading the low-carbon energy transition. Community member Melina Laboucan-Massimo witnessed the changing landscape from industrial development in her territory, and she decided to take action. As part of her Masters Thesis, she fundraised and coordinated the construction of 20KW solar energy system. Melina calls the project “a beacon of what is possible in our communities” and her perspective shows how renewable energy aligns with Indigenous philosophies of reciprocity, relationship, and reconnection with the land.   Recommended Video Citation Climate Atlas of Canada. (2019). Renewables in the Heart of the Tar Sands: Lubicon Cree leading the energy transition. Prairie Climate Centre. https://climateatlas.ca/video/renewables-heart-tar-sands