From Flooding to Fire: How the Town of Canmore is preparing for climate change

This case study describes how the Town of Canmore, Alberta, developed a Climate Resilience Action Plan in 2016 using the Climate Resilience Express (CRE) tool developed by All One Sky (AOS). The process involved identifying climate risks and opportunities through stakeholder workshops and bilateral meetings, leading to specific adaptation strategies for forest fires, Bow River flooding, and mountain creek flooding.

• The Town of Canmore developed its Climate Resilience Action Plan in 2016 to address gaps in its sustainability planning, specifically regarding climate change adaptation, after a catastrophic flooding event in June 2013 where seven mountain creeks overflowed.
• Canmore utilized the Climate Resilience Express (CRE) tool, a four-step process based on ISO 31000 Risk Management principles, to identify and prioritize climate risks. The process included defining local context, assessing risks/opportunities via workshops, formulating actions, and implementing the plan.
• The adaptation planning process identified eight priority risks, with the three highest being forest fires (due to drier summers and even-age stand forests), Bow River flooding (due to increased winter rain and earlier snowmelt), and mountain creek flooding (due to extreme weather events).
• To mitigate forest fire risk, the town prioritized updating the FireSmart mitigation strategy, improving communication with land managers, developing a smoke alert and health advisory policy, and updating the Land Use Bylaw and Engineering Design and Construction Guidelines.
• Adaptation strategies for Bow River flooding include installing backflow prevention valves in civic facilities, improving storm water management, incorporating resilient design into bridges, and conducting a Bow River Flood Risk Assessment.
• Since 2016, Canmore has implemented several initial actions, including initiating the Bow River flood risk assessment, completing mitigation plans for mountain river creeks, incorporating adaptation actions into budget planning, and joining the Covenant of Mayors.
• The case study suggests that municipalities should use existing planning tools and climate data to streamline processes, hire consultants who understand community needs, and incorporate detailed costing to balance the costs of action against avoided consequences.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (n.d.). From Flooding to Fire: How the Town of Canmore is preparing for climate change. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/from-flooding-to-fire-canmore.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. From Flooding to Fire: How the Town of Canmore is preparing for climate change. n.d. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/from-flooding-to-fire-canmore.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=From Flooding to Fire: How the Town of Canmore is preparing for climate change |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/from-flooding-to-fire-canmore.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopmentndfrom, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{From Flooding to Fire: How the Town of Canmore is preparing for climate change}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/from-flooding-to-fire-canmore.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }