Sushama:  The Canadian Network for Regional Climate and Weather Processes focused on quantifying and reducing uncertainties in climate projections and weather predictions for Canada's northern regions. A number of land-related modules were improved and/or implemented in the Canadian regional climate models as part of this Network, which has led to better simulations for the region and improved understanding of processes and feedbacks.

However, the climate model simulations available are still too coarse to provide information at the spatial resolution required for many engineering applications. Changing land dynamics and properties, particularly related to permafrost degradation, and extreme events can have significant impacts on both surface and subsurface infrastructure. Adapting to permafrost degradation will require remedial measures to be applied to existing infrastructure and new approaches in designing and building new infrastructure.

This talk will look at some of the engineering-relevant aspects of weather and climate, including extremes, for the Arctic and will discuss impacts and adaptation strategies and framework for selected engineering operations and infrastructure systems. Due to the rapid warming projected in Arctic regions, it is very likely that several tipping points will be crossed, some of which might pose important risks to infrastructure. Specialized analyses of climate model outputs from this perspective to estimate important thresholds for selected engineering systems will also be presented.

Laframboise:  Since its inception in 2000 the Green Municipal Fund (GMF) - the Federation of Canadian Municipalities' sustainability focused endowment fund - has deployed over $900 million in financing to over 1,200 municipal sustainability projects.

Today, the Fund preserves its capital at around $700M and distributes these through sustainability plans, feasibility studies, pilot projects and capital project loans. These initiatives have enabled 2.5Mt CO2e (CO2 equivalent) of greenhouse gas emission reductions. GMF funds in five sectors including: Energy, Transportation, Water, Waste and Land Use and focuses on a triple bottom line criteria framework to guide the funding decisions staff make via a comprehensive review process.

This presentation will provide an overview of the challenges Canadian municipalities face in addressing sustainability and related issues and focus on the solutions GMF and it's sustainability and climate change programs address via capacity building and funding support. It will also examine GMF's 5 Year Strategic Plan (2018-2023) and provide an overview of the programs and funding streams that support this ambitious Plan.

Crighton: It is widely understood that greenhouse gases associated with human activities are causing climate change, and that climate change poses significant risks to human health.  However, these risks are not evenly distributed.  Climate change is exacerbating existing social inequities and health risks, and in doing so, exacerbating existing health inequities. In this presentation, Dr. Crighton will employ a determinants of health framework to examine relationships between climate change, health and health inequities.  A number of examples including extreme heat events, water insecurity and urban air pollution will be used to illustrate these relationships.

Dawson:  Increased navigability of Arctic waters, as a result of climate change has boosted commercial interest in northern shipping routes including the Northwest Passage (NWP). Vessel traffic in Arctic Canada more than tripled over the past decade and further increases are expected. Considering improved technology, infrastructure investments, and economic and political will of Arctic and non-Arctic nations alike, the NWP is very likely to become a regular trade route within the next few decades. This situation will have significant risks and opportunities for Canada and for coastal Inuit communities. In this presentation, Dr. Dawson will provide an overview of the implications of climate change for Arctic shipping traffic in Arctic Canada, outline current shipping trends, and discuss possible management options to ensure opportunities are taken advantage of and risks are mitigated as increased maritime interest continues in Arctic Canada.

Johnson:  Signing up for an "Arctic Safari" with Adventure Canada, which suggested a more-or-less linear itinerary from Resolute Bay to Kangerlussauq.  It resulted in an adventure which covered nearly twice the sea miles, and provided valuable lessons in the challenges of a cruise-of-opportunity deployment of a research-class CTD (measurement of conductivity, temperature and depth) instrument that could provide information about salinity, water density, chlorophyll and dissolved oxygen profiles during  a swift perambulation around Baffin Bay and Lancaster Sound. 

Meaningful measurements for teaching and demonstration were collected in order to inspire fellow passengers and students to explore the depths below and consider the interface between the ocean and the Arctic lands and ice. Operating in the time gaps of a slightly frenetic tourist cruise provided a window into the challenges of serious research in this region and exposed an arm-chair manufacturer and electronics engineer to the rigours of field campaigns and use of his equipment.

Jean:  The Global Agenda 2030 is a plan for action that covers a wide range of international policy, and scientific and societal issues. It is a transformational agenda that encompasses multiple sectors, and requires unprecedented collaboration at a global scale to implement it. The agenda comprises the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Kimbell:  As the residents of the region know, the weather which struck Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec on September 21 2018 was particularly severe, spawning six tornadoes and causing extreme damage in the region. This presentation by the Meteorological Service of Canada's Weather Preparedness Meteorologist for the Ottawa Region, having first hand view, will recap the event reviewing the weather and the damage. This will also be an opportunity to explain ECCC's new (smartphone) Weather Warning System, which many in the Region experienced for the first time on that day.  Peter Kimbell will present a recap of the event and ECCC's warning dissemination prior to the occurrences.