Manitoba Adaptation Day: Understanding Manitoba-focused Adaptation Activities, Research and Capacity – Workshop Report

This report summarizes a workshop held on March 26, 2009, hosted by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) to assess climate change adaptation activities, research, and capacity in Manitoba. The event brought together academics, policy-makers, and project coordinators to identify priority areas for a proposed Manitoba Climate Research Table and discuss regional adaptation strategies.

• Climate projections for the Prairie region indicate that water scarcity is the most significant climate risk. Other expected impacts include shifts in bioclimate affecting ecosystems, changed disturbance regimes such as fire and insects, the introduction of non-native species, and a loss of the advantages typically provided by colder winters.
• Manitoba's climate change action plan, 'Beyond Kyoto' (April 2008), commits to increasing the capacity of residents to prepare for climate impacts. Planned preparations include improving the winter roads system, water conservation, sustainable farming, wildlife monitoring, and preparedness for extreme weather. The province also intends to integrate adaptation into land use planning, environmental assessments, and future budgets.
• Workshop participants identified several systemic barriers to adaptation in Manitoba, including a lack of awareness and a culture that impedes the integration of climate consequences into decision-making. Other barriers include the persistence of organizational silos, a lack of leadership, and the absence of an overarching provincial adaptation strategy that accounts for regional differences.
• Financial and policy barriers hinder adaptation efforts, specifically short-term thinking in policy processes and the myth that sustainable actions are more expensive than business-as-usual. Participants noted that existing building codes, updated every 10 years, fail to keep pace with climate changes, and there is a lack of economic incentives for environmental benefits in forestry and agriculture.
• The workshop proposed the establishment of a Manitoba Climate Research Table to serve as a neutral body and a community of practice. Its intended purposes include overcoming organizational silos, identifying research gaps, translating scientific research into layman's terms for the public, and supporting proactive decision-making, such as drought preparedness.
• Manitoba is collaborating with Alberta and Saskatchewan to propose a Regional Adaptation Collaborative (RAC) funded by Natural Resources Canada. The RAC would receive up to CDN$4 million per year for three years, matched by provincial cash or in-kind contributions, with a primary focus on water issues, including drought, agriculture, and forest issues.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (n.d.). Manitoba Adaptation Day: Understanding Manitoba-focused Adaptation Activities, Research and Capacity – Workshop Report. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/manitoba_adaptation_day.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Manitoba Adaptation Day: Understanding Manitoba-focused Adaptation Activities, Research and Capacity – Workshop Report. n.d. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/manitoba_adaptation_day.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Manitoba Adaptation Day: Understanding Manitoba-focused Adaptation Activities, Research and Capacity – Workshop Report |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/manitoba_adaptation_day.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopmentndmanitoba, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Manitoba Adaptation Day: Understanding Manitoba-focused Adaptation Activities, Research and Capacity – Workshop Report}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/manitoba_adaptation_day.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }