Keyword Community

At FortWhyte Alive’s solar-powered farm, young people are coming together to fight climate change, restore habitat and encourage biodiversity. Located just inside Winnipeg’s city limits, FortWhyte Alive is a destination for environmental education and recreation deeply committed to protecting the environment. The centre strives to connect humans with nature through a variety of unique programs and events that foster sustainability in the community. One of FortWhyte Alive’s newest programs, the solar farm is a model for how urban agriculture can be used to educate young people, foster community, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. And as a social enterprise, the revenue generated by the farm is put back into the community. “We grow youth, food, and community,” summarizes FortWhyte Farms Manager, Dannielle Mondor. The most visible feature of the farm is a large bank of solar panels. It’s actually the largest installation of solar panels in Winnipeg. “You have solar panels, native prairie plants, wild pollinators and honeybees all in one space, working together. It’s a really neat example of what real action toward fighting climate change and investing in biodiversity can look like,” says Mondor. This is a “good news” story and great example of how people in communities across the country are coming together to fight climate change and make a difference – one small action at a time.   Recommended Video Citation Climate Atlas of Canada. (2019). FortWhyte Alive: Solar Powered Farming. Prairie Climate Centre. https://climateatlas.ca/video/fortwhyte-alive

The Meechim project follows the story of Garden Hill First Nation – a northern Manitoba community that is only accessible via air and ice roads – and its journey to build a self-sustaining farm. Through a combination of both Indigenous and farm knowledge, the community’s efforts to attain food sovereignty show that climate resilience can lead to better social, economic, health and environmental outcomes for all.   Recommended Video Citation Climate Atlas of Canada. (2018). Meechim Project: Food Sovereignty in northern Manitoba. Prairie Climate Centre. https://climateatlas.ca/video/meechim-project

Qapirangajuq: Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change was co-directed by acclaimed Inuk filmmaker Zacharias Kunuk (Atanarjuat The Fast Runner) and PCC’s Executive Director Dr. Ian Mauro. It’s the world’s first Inuktitut language film on climate change, released in 2010, and takes viewers into the Arctic and the Inuit knowledge that is bearing witness to rapid climate change. This award-winning film has been screened around the world – the Smithsonian Institution, Berlin International Film Festival, ImagineNative, etc – and its findings and the community-based process that created it continue to be discussed.   Recommended Video Citation Igloolik Isuma Productions, Kunuk Cohn Productions, Climate Atlas of Canada. (2022). Qapirangajuq: Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change. Prairie Climate Centre. https://climateatlas.ca/video/qapirangajuq

Toronto understands the importance of climate action. In recent years it has been hit by extreme weather that has adversely affected services, infrastructure and economic activities. The human impact of climate change is front and centre as the city works to increase its climate resilience, increase awareness about climate change, and to make urban life better.   Recommended Video Citation Climate Atlas of Canada. (2018). Toronto and Climate Change: Building Resilience and Cutting Emissions. Prairie Climate Centre. https://climateatlas.ca/video/toronto-and-climate-change

Energy transitions are often considered a scientific or technical issue. However, University of Waterloo’s Imre Szeman argues that climate change is fundamentally a cultural issue. He argues that responding to climate change requires a shift in the way we think about cars, energy, chemicals, over-consumption, and other aspects of the fossil-fuel dependent “petrocultures” that permeate our everyday lives.   Recommended Video Citation Climate Atlas of Canada. (2018). Petrocultures: Climate change, culture, and society. Prairie Climate Centre. https://climateatlas.ca/video/petrocultures

On Gabriola Island, community members are beginning to notice the impacts of climate change. To reduce their ecological footprint, some residents started a non-profit organization called GabEnergy, which helps people order and install affordable solar energy systems on their homes. GabEnergy member Michael Mehta discusses the solar panels on his house and the potential for distributed, renewable energy systems across Canada.   Recommended Video Citation Climate Atlas of Canada. (2018). Community Renewables: Supporting solar energy on Gabriola Island. Prairie Climate Centre. https://climateatlas.ca/video/community-renewables

Near the end of the century, the City of Toronto could experience nearly two months of +30 °C days a year, according to climate projections. To address the growing risk of future heat waves, local faith leaders have created a network of cooling centres in churches, mosques, temples and synagogues, and are mobilizing their congregations to provide support for susceptible populations. For City Councillor Gord Perks, this example of grassroots community resilience makes him hopeful about the future.   Recommended Video Citation Climate Atlas of Canada. (2018). Heat Waves and Hope: Faith communities providing solutions to the climate challenge. Prairie Climate Centre. https://climateatlas.ca/video/heat-waves-and-hope

Many citizens of Thunder Bay have an important connection with Lake Superior, which will be impacted by climate change. To mitigate these effects, the local non-profit EcoSuperior and the City of Thunder Bay are encouraging active transportation, local food production, and waste reduction. Citizens are also working together to build resiliency in their neighbourhoods.   Recommended Video Citation Climate Atlas of Canada. (2018). Thunder Bay and Climate Change: Supporting mitigation to protect Lake Superior. Prairie Climate Centre. https://climateatlas.ca/video/thunder-bay-and-climate-change

In 2009, Vancouver announced that it wanted to become the “Greenest City in the World by 2020”. Their action plan hopes to wean the city off fossil fuels and prioritizes pedestrians, bikes and transit when planning neighborhoods. As a result, Vancouver now has the lowest carbon emissions of any city in North America.   Recommended Video Citation Climate Atlas of Canada. (2018). Vancouver: "Greenest City in the World by 2020”. Prairie Climate Centre. https://climateatlas.ca/video/vancouver

As their oil wells began to dry up, the small community of Montana First Nation was faced an unemployment crisis. That’s when the idea of solar energy came up. The Nation founded Green Arrow Corp. Akamihk, western Canada’s first Indigenous-owned and operated community solar energy company. Green Arrow’s own team of trained community members is now installing solar panels across all of Alberta. “You hire your own people, by your people, for your people. We can do this for ourselves, we understand these types of businesses,” explains Vickie Wetchie, Montana First Nation member and general manager of Green Arrow. Wetchie describes the benefits that the community has experienced since they launched their solar company in 2012. The economic benefits–local employment, community revenue, and power savings—have been the primary motivators for pursing this energy development. There are now dozens of community members trained as skilled labourers in solar installation and maintenance.   Recommended Video Citation Climate Atlas of Canada. (2018). Montana First Nation. Prairie Climate Centre. https://climateatlas.ca/video/montana-first-nation