"My grandmother once told me,
'Grandson, you or your son may one day see a winter without snow'”
What does climate change mean for First Nation communities in northern Ontario? The effects of climate change are already being felt in northern First Nation communities. There are many ways communities can take action to reduce the risk of climate change impacts being felt now and those we can expect in the future.
IMPACTS
What does climate change mean for First Nation communities?
shorter winter road seasons
flooding when winter rain falls on frozen ground
thinner ice on traditional winter travel routes
lower water levels along summer travel routes
more severe rainstorms in summer with longer dry periods
longer more extreme wilfire seasons
change in the migration of animals like geese and caribou and some insects and animals moving north
change in fish spawning areas
thawing permafrost
ADAPTATIONS
How can communities prepare?
improving drainage in the community to prevent flooding from severe rainstorms or spring melt
making homes more resistant to climate challenges like high winds and heavy snow load
ensuring that Health Centre staff are familiar with newly appearing diseases like Lyme Disease
equipping a building with air conditioning to help vulnerable community members at higher risk of heat-related illnesses
having a plan to evacuate people with breathing problems if smoke from wildfires reaches the community
ways of protecting the community from the threat of wildfire
making people aware of thin ice and shallow water when travelling
Explore impacts and adaptation options identified by northern First Nations
More tools for adapting to climate change
Climate Change Adaptation Quick Guide
Adapting to a Changing Climate
The Climate Change Adaptation Quick Guide is a series of illustrations that present climate change impacts and possible adaptation options relevant to northern Ontario First Nation communities. Use them as posters, handouts, or slides in a presentation to help start conversations about climate change adaptation!
This 100-page document provides discussion points for the impacts of climate change seen and felt in northern Ontario First Nation communities. It also provides examples of potential adaptation options for the impacts organized by 8 themes (drought, shifting ecosystems, flooding, food security, health, infrastructure, transportation, and wildfire).
Climate change impact & adaptation InfoSheets
Reflecting the impacts being seen and felt in northern Ontario First Nation communities, these 2-page information sheets (called “Infosheets”) were designed to help build capacity and knowledge about climate change, its continued impacts on the land, and the possible ways people and communities can adapt and prepare. Eight themes are covered.
