Funding the Future

This executive summary by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines the role of natural infrastructure in addressing Canada's water infrastructure gap. It assesses six federal funding programs against 14 enabling criteria, finding that while most allow natural infrastructure, actual funding remains disproportionately low. The document provides recommendations to integrate natural infrastructure into federal frameworks, increase funding for proactive adaptation, and build local government capacity.

• Local governments in Canada are struggling with an 'infrastructure crunch' caused by aging assets, underinvestment, and extreme weather, particularly in the water sector involving drinking water, stormwater, wastewater, and flood protection. While 'grey infrastructure' (human-made assets) has been the standard, its rising costs are becoming unsustainable.
• An assessment of six federal infrastructure programs (CCBF, ICIP, CHIF, DMAF, LLCA, and NIF) against 14 enabling criteria revealed mixed results. The Natural Infrastructure Fund (NIF) and the Green Municipal Fund's Local Leadership for Climate Adaptation program (LLCA) are the most effective, meeting 12 of the 14 criteria. However, previous research indicates that less than 1% of funds from the ICIP, DMAF, and CCBF have been allocated to natural infrastructure.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2025). Funding the Future. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2025-02/federal-programs-funding-natural-infrastructure-summary.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Funding the Future. 2025. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2025-02/federal-programs-funding-natural-infrastructure-summary.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Funding the Future |date=February 2025 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2025-02/federal-programs-funding-natural-infrastructure-summary.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2025funding, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Funding the Future}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2025}, month = feb, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2025-02/federal-programs-funding-natural-infrastructure-summary.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }