Local Climate Change Adaptation Planning in Manitoba

A review of 30 local plans in Manitoba reveals that most do not explicitly incorporate climate change adaptation. While flooding is widely recognized as a risk, drought and other climate-driven hazards are often overlooked. Only a small minority of plans identify specific climate trends or establish adaptation actions, with integrated watershed management plans generally showing more detail and clarity than development or emergency plans.

• Out of 30 reviewed plans, only seven explicitly considered climate change adaptation by identifying risks, outlining policies, or establishing actions.
• Only the Gillam Development Plan and the Carrot-Saskatchewan River watershed plan highlighted general climate change trends for their regions and identified specific biophysical risks and socioeconomic or ecological vulnerabilities, though neither cited specific projection data or sources.
• Three plans established actions to address climate change vulnerabilities: the Gillam Development Plan, the Carrot-Saskatchewan River watershed plan, and the development plan for the RM of Rhineland and the Towns of Plum Coulee, Gretna and Altona (RPGA). No reviewed plans committed to actions to better understand climate-caused risks or vulnerabilities.
• Flooding is the most recognized risk across all plan types, while drought receives significantly less attention in development and emergency plans. All five integrated watershed management plans noted drought risks, but only one linked this risk to climate change.
• Development plans frequently use a 1-in-100-year flood standard for protection, but the report notes this is based on historical data and may be unreliable under a changing climate. The Government of Manitoba has recommended a higher 1-in-200-year flood standard, which is already applied in some provincially regulated Designated Flood Areas along the Red River.
• None of the five reviewed emergency plans explicitly considered the implications of climate change on emergency operations, although all outlined response procedures for flooding and extreme weather.
• Integrated watershed management plans generally provided more clarity than development or emergency plans by attaching timelines and geographic target areas to actions and specifying the need for sustainable drainage and water retention capacity.
• The Carrot-Saskatchewan River Integrated Watershed Management Plan provided the most comprehensive adaptation approach, considering risks from flooding, drought, extreme weather, wildfires, and disease pressure, and outlining priority actions to manage them.
• Newer plans are more likely to consider climate change adaptation; the average completion year for plans that considered it was 2012, compared to 2010 for those that did not.

APA

Goertzen, S. (2019). Local Climate Change Adaptation Planning in Manitoba. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/climate-change-adaptation-planning-manitoba.pdf

Chicago

Goertzen, Sean. Local Climate Change Adaptation Planning in Manitoba. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2019. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/climate-change-adaptation-planning-manitoba.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Goertzen |first1=Sean |title=Local Climate Change Adaptation Planning in Manitoba |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=January 2019 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/climate-change-adaptation-planning-manitoba.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{goertzen2019local, author = {Goertzen, Sean}, title = {{Local Climate Change Adaptation Planning in Manitoba}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2019}, month = jan, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/climate-change-adaptation-planning-manitoba.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }