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The Canadian North faces a dual crisis of inadequate existing infrastructure and a climate warming three times faster than the global average. Permafrost thaw, extreme weather, and unpredictable ice and snow conditions are damaging airstrips, roads, and building foundations, while threatening winter road viability and coastal communities. The report argues that simple repairs are insufficient due to historical underinvestment and neglect; instead, it calls for transformational adaptation based on Indigenous self-determination. Key recommendations include restructuring federal funding, improving region-specific climate risk data, prioritizing infrastructure replacement over repair, and updating building codes to account for northern climate complexities.

The Canadian Climate Institute warns that current zoning and policy gaps could lead to over 760,000 new homes being built in high-risk flood and wildfire areas by 2030, potentially costing billions in annual damages. The report argues that redirecting just 3% of planned housing (approximately 150,000 units) away from the most vulnerable areas could reduce new flood risks by nearly 80%. Key recommendations include strengthening provincial land-use regulations, updating risk maps, mandating risk disclosure in real estate transactions, and reforming disaster assistance to remove moral hazard.

The report details the use of the North American TIMES Energy Model (NATEM) to identify the most cost-effective technology combinations for decarbonizing Canada's building sector. It establishes a core 'Optimal NZ50' scenario targeting 440 Mt of emissions in 2030 and 10 Mt by 2050, while outlining seven sensitivity analyses covering heat pump costs, retrofit levels, and hydrogen integration. The modelling accounts for regional differences across 13 jurisdictions, incorporating detailed load curves, climate change temperature forecasts, and a comprehensive database of over 7,000 technologies.

The report examines the intersection of flood risk transparency and social equity in Canada, arguing that current practices in mapping, disclosure, and pricing often disproportionately disadvantage marginalized communities. It highlights gaps in map availability for rural and remote areas, ambiguities in real estate disclosure, and the risk of 'bluelining' or 'degentrification' where equity-deserving groups are trapped in high-risk areas due to financial constraints. The authors recommend accelerating co-developed flood mapping, standardizing disclosure requirements for rentals and real estate, and implementing affordability assessments in the forthcoming national public flood insurance program to support just climate adaptation.

Carbon Market Watch argues for stringent rules to prevent double counting, 'hot air' credits, and the inclusion of REDD-plus in carbon markets. It advocates for a 'net atmospheric benefit' through discounting, the establishment of a share of proceeds for adaptation and loss and damage, and the integration of a human rights-based approach into the core agreement to protect vulnerable populations.

The research uses a welfare model based on consumer surplus to analyze how energy price hikes under a Kyoto Protocol scenario disproportionately affect low-income households in Canada. Through simulations in Alberta and Ontario, the authors find that while high-income groups reduce energy consumption the most, low-income groups suffer the greatest loss in welfare. The paper proposes an income-differentiated pricing system and carbon-reduction tax rebates for high-income groups as mechanisms to ensure equity and protect the basic energy needs of the poor.

Floating Treatment Wetlands (FTWs) are artificial platforms that enable aquatic plants to grow in deep water, utilizing a combination of plant uptake and microbial biofilms to remove pollutants. Research by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) demonstrates that FTWs can significantly reduce phosphorus levels, remove certain pharmaceuticals and herbicides, and potentially mitigate oil spills. The system is applicable to various freshwater environments, including lakes, stormwater ponds, and wastewater lagoons.

The IISD Experimental Lakes Area (ELA) is a research facility in northwestern Ontario consisting of 58 lakes and their watersheds used for whole-ecosystem experiments. For over 50 years, the facility has provided long-term data sets used for global climate modelling and has influenced environmental policies, such as those restricting phosphorus to prevent algal blooms. Current and past research focuses include the impacts of climate change, oil spills (specifically diluted bitumen), microplastics, pharmaceuticals (such as synthetic estrogen), and other contaminants like mercury and acid rain.

The IISD-ELA Lake 626 Diversion Project investigates the ecological impacts of reduced water inputs on lake chemistry and fish. By constructing a diversion channel and dike in 2010, researchers reduced the watershed area from 388 ha to 74 ha and increased water residence time from 2.1 years to 10.9 years. This led to decreased dissolved organic carbon (DOC), allowing sunlight to penetrate deeper and warm the surface layer. Consequently, lake trout are spending more time in water with less than their ideal oxygen levels.

The IISD Experimental Lakes Area (IISD-ELA) responds to Ontario's Environment Plan by urging the government to integrate more rigorous scientific evidence, expanded monitoring, and new technologies into its freshwater protection strategies. Key recommendations include extending air pollutant monitoring to water bodies, researching the impacts of salinity and plastics, setting a specific 18.4 per cent phosphorus reduction target for Lake of the Woods, and utilizing the Internet of Things for real-time sewage flow monitoring.

The IISD Energy Program provides practical guidance and research to help governments transition to low-carbon economies, reform fossil fuel subsidies, and implement international climate commitments. The program focuses on quantifying the economic impacts of electricity systems and promoting renewable energy, specifically noting that fossil fuel subsidies in Middle Eastern and African countries could fund the region's renewable energy targets through 2020.

The IISD employs a combination of whole-lake experimentation at the Experimental Lakes Area in Ontario and policy analysis to manage watersheds and develop bioeconomies. Its work includes removing nutrients from the Lake Winnipeg watershed to produce renewable energy pellets and assessing climate change vulnerability in Pakistan's water sector.

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) provides policy solutions and research to integrate environmental and social priorities with economic development. In Canada, the institute focuses on freshwater management through the Experimental Lakes Area, the development of a green economy, and addressing the challenges of resource development in the Arctic. IISD also works with the extractives industry on social licence and water management, and collaborates with partners in the U.S. and Mexico to develop a coordinated North American energy strategy to improve energy security and sustainability.

The document details Ontario's transition away from coal-fired power, highlighting the role of civil society and health-based arguments in driving the policy. It provides a timeline from the 1997 establishment of the Ontario Clean Air Alliance to the final conversion of the Thunder Bay plant to biomass in 2014, while noting initial opposition based on energy costs and job losses.

The document argues that providing explicit assurance of credit and banking for 'early action' (reductions between 1990 and 2007) is essential to overcome barriers for Canadian businesses and entrepreneurs. It proposes a two-step approach: first, providing credit for validated reductions to ensure participants are not penalized relative to non-participants, and second, allowing the banking of these credits for use against future obligations or for trading. The report details necessary infrastructure, including measurement protocols, a registry (potentially via the Voluntary Challenge and Registry office), and auditing standards, while drawing on models from the U.S. and Canadian pilot projects like GERT and PERT.

The fact sheet compares the climate strategies of eleven major asset owners, detailing their Net Zero targets, interim emissions reduction goals, and specific exclusions of fossil fuels. It highlights varying levels of Scope 3 reporting and tracks financial commitments to climate solutions, with some investors like CDPQ and NYC Funds reporting significant progress or exceeding their targets.

The authors use geo-coded data from 31 federal states to argue that both relatively rich and relatively poor regions are more prone to secessionist conflict than those with average wealth. The study also finds that the presence of politically excluded ethnic groups and the existence of regional autonomy further elevate the risk of violent secessionist conflict.

Newtonian Shift is a room-sized board game and workshop developed by the Advanced Energy Centre (AEC) at MaRS and RMI's Electricity Innovation Lab (e-Lab). It simulates multiple years of energy-sector transformation in a single day, allowing 20-30 players to explore the effects of new technologies, policies, and business models from the perspectives of utilities, government, and customers. The program has engaged over 600 sector leaders across North America, including organizations such as CAISO and the New York Power Authority.

The report outlines the essential structural elements of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs, detailing how the choice of Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) systems, operational responsibilities, cost coverage, financial models, fee structures, and funding mechanisms influence environmental and economic outcomes. It emphasizes the importance of harmonization across jurisdictions and the use of eco-modulated fees to incentivize sustainable packaging design.