By: Thomas Perry, Articling Student at CELA
CELA supports the Ontario Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Act; a private member’s bill which was introduced on November 27, 2025. This bill intends to protect Ontarians from increasingly pronounced effects of climate change such as heat waves, storms, floods, droughts, wildfires, or air pollution. Specifically, it intends to do so by advancing various adaptation and resilience strategies.
Climate change is unfair. Low-income people, who are not responsible for climate change, are disproportionately impacted by the effects. The provincial government has an obligation to assist these individuals and their communities with adapting to climate change’s effects.
The Ontario Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Act has four main features, which would help to realize that obligation:
Strategic Action Plan
The Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks will create a Strategic Action Plan, with 55 actions for reducing the effects of climate change and increasing the resilience of housing, infrastructure, agriculture or natural ecosystems. The plan’s creation will involve intensive engagement and consultation with Indigenous peoples, municipal governments, conservation authorities, public health agencies and NGOs. Such a plan will need to be formed within 2 years of this bill’s passage, and then reviewed on a recurring basis. It will also need to be published on a Government of Ontario website. Some of the plan’s proposed actions, involving expansion and enhancement of heat preparation or resilience measures in homes, align with CELA’s recent work on extreme heat events and the importance of addressing their risks. Our Joint Call for Action to address the risks of extreme heat can be viewed here.
Climate Adaptation Fund
The Climate Adaptation Fund will pay for any climate adaptation or resilience initiatives that are adopted, based on the Strategic Action Plan. It will need to be established within 2 years of this bill’s passage.
Ontario Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Resource Centre
The Ontario Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Resource Centre will be responsible for sharing information about climate change, providing support training, and evaluating any progress on the Strategic Action Plan. It will need to be established within 1 year of this bill’s passage.
Whole-of-government Adaptation Secretariat
The Whole-of-government Adaptation Secretariat will be responsible for the coordination of climate adaptation measures across relevant Ministries, such as the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, the Ministry of Health, or the Ministry of Natural Resources. They will also need to engage and consult with climate adaptation bodies such as the Ontario Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Resource Centre.
The Ontario Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Act’s primary objective is to protect Ontario’s citizens, communities, infrastructure, and natural ecosystems from climate change’s worsening effects. CELA is particularly concerned about the disproportionate impacts that climate change is having on our client communities and the worsening impacts of climate change in the future. We urge all parties to support this bill.
Blog – Support for the Ontario Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Act
By: Thomas Perry, Articling Student at CELA
CELA supports the Ontario Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Act; a private member’s bill which was introduced on November 27, 2025. This bill intends to protect Ontarians from increasingly pronounced effects of climate change such as heat waves, storms, floods, droughts, wildfires, or air pollution. Specifically, it intends to do so by advancing various adaptation and resilience strategies.
Climate change is unfair. Low-income people, who are not responsible for climate change, are disproportionately impacted by the effects. The provincial government has an obligation to assist these individuals and their communities with adapting to climate change’s effects.
The Ontario Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Act has four main features, which would help to realize that obligation:
Strategic Action Plan
The Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks will create a Strategic Action Plan, with 55 actions for reducing the effects of climate change and increasing the resilience of housing, infrastructure, agriculture or natural ecosystems. The plan’s creation will involve intensive engagement and consultation with Indigenous peoples, municipal governments, conservation authorities, public health agencies and NGOs. Such a plan will need to be formed within 2 years of this bill’s passage, and then reviewed on a recurring basis. It will also need to be published on a Government of Ontario website. Some of the plan’s proposed actions, involving expansion and enhancement of heat preparation or resilience measures in homes, align with CELA’s recent work on extreme heat events and the importance of addressing their risks. Our Joint Call for Action to address the risks of extreme heat can be viewed here.
Climate Adaptation Fund
The Climate Adaptation Fund will pay for any climate adaptation or resilience initiatives that are adopted, based on the Strategic Action Plan. It will need to be established within 2 years of this bill’s passage.
Ontario Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Resource Centre
The Ontario Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Resource Centre will be responsible for sharing information about climate change, providing support training, and evaluating any progress on the Strategic Action Plan. It will need to be established within 1 year of this bill’s passage.
Whole-of-government Adaptation Secretariat
The Whole-of-government Adaptation Secretariat will be responsible for the coordination of climate adaptation measures across relevant Ministries, such as the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, the Ministry of Health, or the Ministry of Natural Resources. They will also need to engage and consult with climate adaptation bodies such as the Ontario Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Resource Centre.
The Ontario Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Act’s primary objective is to protect Ontario’s citizens, communities, infrastructure, and natural ecosystems from climate change’s worsening effects. CELA is particularly concerned about the disproportionate impacts that climate change is having on our client communities and the worsening impacts of climate change in the future. We urge all parties to support this bill.
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