Toward the Climate-Resilient City: Extreme Weather and Urban Climate Adaptation Policies in Two Canadian Provinces

Abstract Extreme weather events, such as unusually high or low temperatures, severe winds and heavy precipitation, pose a threat to people and property in cities, and are expected to become more frequent and intense as a result of climate change. Managing this risk requires effective climate adaptation policies – strategic courses of action designed to strengthen urban resilience to climate-related stress. City governments have a key role to play in adaptation policy design, but they appear to face challenges in marshalling political commitment and technical capacity. This article examines elements of urban climate adaptation policy targeting extreme weather and analyzes the policy development process in two major Canadian cities, Toronto and Halifax. Acknowledgements The author would like to thank the Editor and anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments and the Adaptation to Climate Change Team (ACT) at Simon Fraser University for supporting the background research for this paper. Notes Conservation authorities are local watershed management agencies in Ontario that are mandated through provincial legislation to deliver programs to protect and manage water and other natural resources in partnership with municipal governments and other organizations.