Today, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Catherine McKenna, announced a new collaboration between the Canadian Centre for Climate Services and the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium, based at the University of Victoria. Through this collaboration, the Government of Canada is investing $1.25 million over five years, in the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium, enabling its scientists to share their expertise with Canadians.

“As Canada looks to the future and the environmental impacts that climate change will bring, it’s essential we support scientific organizations that provide sound and accessible climate information to Canadians. By collaborating with the climate experts at the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium, we’re ensuring Canadians on the Pacific coast and across the country have access to the climate information they need. Together, we are building resilience to climate change and building the foundations of our children and grandchildren’s low-carbon future.”

– Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change

“As an authoritative provider of climate information to stakeholders and the public in our region, it means a great deal to us to be invited to be part of a national initiative that’s going to help even more Canadians obtain information about how climate change will affect them. We’re pleased that the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium and the University of Victoria can be part of the important national initiative of the Canadian Centre for Climate Services to help communities and stakeholders across the country prepare for and adapt to a changing climate.”

– Francis Zwiers, Director of Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium

• Canada is experiencing the impacts of climate change. Extreme weather events that contribute to summer wildfires in British Columbia and springtime flooding in eastern Canada underscore the need to better prepare Canadians to adapt and build resilience to climate change.

• The Government of Canada is helping Canadians adapt to challenges posed by climate change. This involves making adjustments in our decisions, activities, and thinking. For example, we’re developing more stringent building standards for areas where heavier snowfall is expected or limiting development in coastal areas where sea level is projected to rise.

• The Government of Canada created the Canadian Centre for Climate Services in 2018 so that all Canadians—from individual homeowners to municipal planners—have the information and support they need to understand and plan for climate impacts.

• The collaboration with the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium is the first of several planned with provinces and territories across the country.

• The Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium is recognized and supported by the Province of British Columbia as a climate-expert organization.

• As a regional climate service centre located at the University of Victoria, the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium provides practical information on the physical impacts of climate variability and change in the Pacific and Yukon region and assists clients to understand and use climate information in decision-making.

Related products

• Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium
• Canadian Centre for Climate Services
• Canada’s climate plan: Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change
• Government of Canada collaborates with British Columbia’s Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium to bring climate expertise to Canadians

Sabrina Kim
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change
819-743-7138
sabrina.kim2@canada.ca

Media Relations
Environment and Climate Change Canada
819-938-3338 or 1-844-836-7799 (toll-free)
ec.media.ec@canada.ca

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