Explore the challenges & opportunities associated with development in hazardous areas in BC. Help advance solutions.

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‘While one single land-use decision may not increase risk significantly, years of small decisions that incrementally increase risk can lead to unacceptable levels’
-American Planning Association (APA), 2005

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Event Summary

This year's Understanding Risk (UR) BC session is an online, one day, regional resilience roundtable that picks up the session that was postponed from URBC 2020 (due to the provincial election) on the topic of development in hazardous areas- which is a topic that spans many ongoing initiatives in BC: the Lower Mainland Flood Management Strategy, the Province's repeal and replace of the Emergency Program Act (EPA) and Climate Preparedness and Adaptation Strategy (CPAS), etc. Join the regions thought and action leaders and be a part of the solution!

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Regional Resilience Roundtable, October 7th, 2021: How do we collectively advance the incentivization agenda to reduce risk and build resilience given that most of the development in BC constitutes 'development in hazardous areas'?

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CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE FULL PROGRAM (PDF)

All times are PST.

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Partner Events: Other fall sessions that support overall momentum building towards building a more resilient British Columbia, including:

• Workshop with the Vancouver Economic Commission 'Building a Climate-resilient Financial System in BC' (October 8th, 2021, by invite)

• UDI Breakfast Seminar, Doing Your Due Diligence - Buying Land in an Age of Climate Change  (November 2nd, 2021)

• PACE Canada & BOMA BC 'PACE for Resilience' (Date TBC)

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Objectives

• The objectives of the URBC Symposiums are in line with the priorities for action of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030), which was adopted by the BC government in 2018. These same priorities are in line with and in support of the National Emergency Management Strategy for Canada: Toward a Resilient 2030 and its current focus on earthquakes, floods, and wildfires.

• Advance essential and non-traditional partnerships across the science-policy-action interface to reduce risk and build resilience

• Make connections across projects and initiatives towards enhanced collaboration and reduced duplication

• Support advancement and implementation of existing recommendations and commitments that have been made in BC and Canada in relation to climate and disaster risk management by fostering generative dialogue and enhanced collaboration across disciplines and cultures

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Program (subject to updates, which will continue to be posted here as confirmed)

 Welcome & Context

• Carleen Thomas (Treaty Lands and Resources at Tsleil-Waututh Nation)

• Josie Osbourne (Minister, MUNI)

• The URBC Story (Jessica Shoubridge, URBC Program Lead 2016-present) & Erica Crawford (SHIFT Collaborative)

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With Music throughout the day courtesy of the Spiritual Warriors

 

Series of Ignite Talks focusing on Understanding, Analyzing and Communicating Risk

• Quantifying Vertical Land Movement for Floodplain Planning - the City of Vancouver Floodplain Subsidence Study (Tiffany Kang, City of Vancouver)

• Earthquake Risk and Resilience in Vancouver’s West End (Stephanie Chang & Carlos Molina Hutt, UBC)

• A Story About Kwantlen First Nation’s Flood Risk (Carla Hanson, Kwantlen First Nation)

• Modernizing our Approach to Flood Risk Reduction – the BC Flood Strategy (Andrew Giles, FLNRORD BC Government)

• Improving our Regional Understanding of Seismic Hazard: The Metro Vancouver Seismic Microzonation Mapping Project (Meredith Fyfe & Sheri Molnar, University of Western Ontario)

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Fireside Chat: Evaluating Risk Tolerance: Examples from Practice in BC

• Moderated by Jessica Shoubridge (URBC), With Fiona Dercole (RDEK), Kris Holm (BGC), Dan Oprescu & Franziska Niegemann (BC FSA)

Be a part of the dialogue regarding how natural hazard risk is analyzed and evaluated in BC. What is the role for community-based risk tolerance? What is the role for regional and senior governments to play? What about financiers?

 

Series of Ignite Talks focusing on Reducing Risk and Building Resilience

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FOCUS ON LAND USE

• Regional Growth Strategy Update: Taking Steps Towards Resilience in Metro 2050 (Edward Nichol, Metro Vancouver)

• Flood Resilience Through Planning and Development (Frances Woo, Fraser Basin Council )

• Incorporating Hazard Risk at Various Scales within the City of Vancouver (Tamsin Mills, City of Vancouver)

• Integrating Risk in Developer Acquisition Strategies (Jeff Fisher, UDI)

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FOCUS ON BUILDINGS & INFRASTRUCTURE

• Hazard and Risk Integration in a Climate Changed World (Jessica Woolliams, BC Housing)

• Is Life Safety Good Enough? Learning from the Evolution of Seismic Codes and BC Schools Retrofit Program (John Sherstobitoff, Ausenco/NBCC)

• Eliminate the Noise: Application of Climate Risk Assessment Tools to Canadian Infrastructure (Aline Bennett, WSP )

• Developing New Tools and Guidance for Coastal Flood Risk Management through Partnership (Enda Murphy, National Research Council)

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Fireside Chat: Real Estate and Climate Change – Come Hell or High

• Moderated by Matthew Strand (QuadReal Property Group), With Tamsin Lyle (Ebbwater), Chris Chopik (Sotheby's) & Anton Tabun (Manifest Climate)

This panel will explore the way in which climate change is impacting real estate in Canada and globally. During this discussion we will discuss the importance of climate risk disclosure, the importance of uniform and consistent data, and who ultimately bears the legal responsibility for the financial cost of climate change impacts.

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Series of Ignite Talks focusing on Finance, Funding and Incentivization

• Resilience Incentivization: Shared Benefits/Shared Investment (Evan Reis, US Resiliency Council)

• Evolving Methods for Quantifying Financial Impacts of Physical Climate Risks in Infrastructure (William Philips, Mott MacDonald )

• Emerging Issues in the Insurance Industry (Rob DePruis, Insurance Bureau of Canada)

• Growing a Resilient Green Property Bond Market (Ujala Qadir, Climate Bonds Initiative)

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Closing Reflections & Next Steps: Advancing the Incentivization Agenda via Enhanced Collaboration in BC

What is currently preventing us from incentivizing risk reduction and resilience building actions and activities at scale? How do we deconstruct and reconstruct a helpful system of incentives that will shift patterns of development in hazardous areas areas? How do we best collaborate (across cultures, disciplines, sectors, etc.) to make this change in the coming decade?

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Hear closing reflections on the challenges and opportunities as discussed throughout the day's roundtable from:

• Emily Dicken (North Shore Emergency Management)

• Evan Reis (USRC)

• Kris Holme (BGC)

• Fiona Dercole (RDEK)

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Closing with Erica Crawford (SHIFT Collaborative) & Jessica Shoubridge (URBC Program Lead, 2016-present)

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