Durham Community Climate Adaptation Plan

About the Durham Community Climate Adaptation Plan

This project focuses on a 10-year strategic update of the Durham Community Climate Adaptation Plan (DCCAP) approved by Council in 2016. The DCCAP is the Region’s plan to be climate-ready/adapt to climate change.

We are already seeing the impacts of climate change across Durham, including more frequent and heavier rains and flooding, ice storms, heat waves and wildfire smoke. Residents and municipalities are feeling the impacts including costly repairs and impacts on heath. The update will help ensure the Region continues to take practical, community-focused actions to stay safe and resilient as these impacts become more frequent.

What is an Adaptation Plan?

Adaptation Plans help municipalities prepare for future climate changes by:

  • Identifying current and future climate hazards (i.e. heat waves, flooding, extreme weather, etc.), associated risks and impacts to community and municipal services (i.e. infrastructure, programs, etc.).

  • Providing a strategy to prioritize climate adaptation actions across departments and sectors and integrating resilience building strategies into municipal business.

  • Recommending municipal and community actions, including policies, operational changes, infrastructure investments and initiatives led by municipalities and partners such as utilities, conservation authorities, Indigenous communities and local organizations.

What will the updated plan focus on?

The DCCAP was approved in 2016 to guide the Region and its partners in responding to the growing impacts of climate change and severe weather. Since its creation, implementation of recommendations has been well underway; however, climate policies, regional priorities, and community needs have evolved significantly.

Building on implementation work underway, this project will update the existing DCCAP with new corporate and community priorities that have emerged since the last plan and clarify the Region’s role in building resilience across Durham.

Project objectives include:

  • Emphasis on adaptation efforts led by the Region—across corporate service areas and in the community—further clarifying the Region's role in building resilience across Durham.

  • Risk-based and implementation-oriented plan, integrating with asset management and budget planning processes, with framework for progress tracking.

  • Collaboration across Durham Region departments and divisions, building institutional capacity for continued collaboration and support.

  • Inclusive engagement and collaboration with local area municipalities, conservation authorities, Indigenous communities and community partners.

  • Integration of equity considerations throughout the engagement process, program design and delivery to ensure actions are meeting the needs of residents who face the highest risk.

Durham Region is participating in ICLEI Canada's Building Adaptive & Resilient Communities (BARC) program to support the DCCAP Update. The planning process is guided by the BARC 5 milestone framework that supports municipalities in building resilience in a changing climate.


Project funding

Funding support: $140,000 secured through Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Green Municipal Fund (GMF) Local Leadership for Climate Adaptation (LLCA) Climate-Ready Plans and Processes Stream.


Stay informed!

We encourage you to subscribe above to receive project updates!

About the Durham Community Climate Adaptation Plan

This project focuses on a 10-year strategic update of the Durham Community Climate Adaptation Plan (DCCAP) approved by Council in 2016. The DCCAP is the Region’s plan to be climate-ready/adapt to climate change.

We are already seeing the impacts of climate change across Durham, including more frequent and heavier rains and flooding, ice storms, heat waves and wildfire smoke. Residents and municipalities are feeling the impacts including costly repairs and impacts on heath. The update will help ensure the Region continues to take practical, community-focused actions to stay safe and resilient as these impacts become more frequent.

What is an Adaptation Plan?

Adaptation Plans help municipalities prepare for future climate changes by:

  • Identifying current and future climate hazards (i.e. heat waves, flooding, extreme weather, etc.), associated risks and impacts to community and municipal services (i.e. infrastructure, programs, etc.).

  • Providing a strategy to prioritize climate adaptation actions across departments and sectors and integrating resilience building strategies into municipal business.

  • Recommending municipal and community actions, including policies, operational changes, infrastructure investments and initiatives led by municipalities and partners such as utilities, conservation authorities, Indigenous communities and local organizations.

What will the updated plan focus on?

The DCCAP was approved in 2016 to guide the Region and its partners in responding to the growing impacts of climate change and severe weather. Since its creation, implementation of recommendations has been well underway; however, climate policies, regional priorities, and community needs have evolved significantly.

Building on implementation work underway, this project will update the existing DCCAP with new corporate and community priorities that have emerged since the last plan and clarify the Region’s role in building resilience across Durham.

Project objectives include:

  • Emphasis on adaptation efforts led by the Region—across corporate service areas and in the community—further clarifying the Region's role in building resilience across Durham.

  • Risk-based and implementation-oriented plan, integrating with asset management and budget planning processes, with framework for progress tracking.

  • Collaboration across Durham Region departments and divisions, building institutional capacity for continued collaboration and support.

  • Inclusive engagement and collaboration with local area municipalities, conservation authorities, Indigenous communities and community partners.

  • Integration of equity considerations throughout the engagement process, program design and delivery to ensure actions are meeting the needs of residents who face the highest risk.

Durham Region is participating in ICLEI Canada's Building Adaptive & Resilient Communities (BARC) program to support the DCCAP Update. The planning process is guided by the BARC 5 milestone framework that supports municipalities in building resilience in a changing climate.


Project funding

Funding support: $140,000 secured through Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Green Municipal Fund (GMF) Local Leadership for Climate Adaptation (LLCA) Climate-Ready Plans and Processes Stream.


Stay informed!

We encourage you to subscribe above to receive project updates!

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Page last updated: 12 Dec 2025, 07:30 AM