AEMA Stakeholder Summit

Canada is experiencing climate change and extreme weather challenges with increasing frequency, and at great financial and social cost.  In response, Canada must adapt at a pace that at least matches evolving climate induced risk -- otherwise, Canada's operational capacity/GDP will be negatively impacted.  The presentation will examine whether Canada has an adaptation deficit, and if so, the specific actions that should be taken in response.  Additionally, the means by which the capital markets (institutional investors, credit rating agencies, securities commissions) might be more effectively engaged to drive innovation in climate adaptation forward in Canada will be reviewed.  

In our rapidly changing world of disaster and emergency management, lessons are being observed with every event.  Knowledge is being acquired and disseminated through several channels, and the mantra of “do better” guides us in the good work we are all committed to do for our communities, our industry and our environment.  

However, the disaster landscape is changing, as is the talent that is required to address the needs of today, and into an uncertain future.  Anticipating the demographic shifts on the horizon, what are each of us doing to ensure that what we have learned up to now, is not lost?  How are we preparing for a new generation of professionals and leaders, who will need to understand what was done yesterday, to “do better” tomorrow?

On July 30, 2018 a fire in the mechanical room of the Forestry Building in Edmonton displaced 471Government of Alberta personnel. Learn how two of the six affected government departments analyzed the affects of the fire on their essential services, implemented communication protocols and worked collaboratively with other solution providers to temporarily house staff and to continue business operations in a relatively short period of time.  What worked well, what areas provided the greatest challenges and the value of effective preparation will be the focus.

This presentation will discuss the roles and outcomes of the regional response to the large-scale, fast-moving grassfire which burnt over 90,000 acres in under 12 hours on September 11, 2017.

EOC Command will provide details of the primary response to this large-scale, fast-moving grassfire which originated out of CFB Suffield. The specific strategies employed at the EOC and in the primary response will be discussed, with a focus on the effective deployment of limited resources to remote rural areas over the entire course of the event. The geographic and tactical challenges of the emergency response in a remote rural area will be discussed, along with the specific ways they were mitigated.

The integration of civilian responders (farmers, producers, community members) into the primary response will be discussed from the EOC perspective, specifically focusing on lessons learned. In addition, the importance of integrated communication systems for municipal employees, first responders and volunteer fire departments will be highlighted.

Key points from the newly developed Grassfire Safety Program (Communities & Volunteer Fire Departments) will be shared, with additional information regarding this new training course and community resources available after the presentation.

In 2013 the Town of Raymond experienced overland flooding that overwhelmed our existing stormwater infrastructure. Following the flood, a 1.6km drainage ditch and berm was designed to divert 271 hectares of overland runoff from the County of Warner into Corner Lake, which is part of the Raymond Irrigation District's infrastructure. Due to the increased volume being diverted into their system, additional control stations were installed to divert water through the Raymond Golf Course. The existing capacity of the natural golf course drain as well as the development of 5 additional ponds within the course greatly enhanced our overall ability to redirect and retain stormwater within the community. We received $1,473,000 in Alberta Community Resilience Program funding as well as $545,343 in New Building Canada National and Regional Project funding. Raymond's contribution was $320,432 for a total project budget of $2,338,775.

Explore a community resilience framework for urban dwellers which assists them in getting to ‘know their neighbours’ so that they are more likely to turn to them in an emergency. The idea that neighbours might function as resources for disaster preparedness must take account of the fact that neighbour relations are often weak and so often require nurturing.  This talk examines how neighbouring practices and relationships can be enhanced prior to a disaster forming a supportive relationship with neighbours in preparation for when disaster strikes. Learn how asset mapping can create closer neighbour relations and provide more reliable forms of help. Hear important insights for disaster policy and practice which suggest that resilience being a function of relatedness , must be prepared for by embedding local social practices which enhance neighbouring.  

Chief Roland Twinn, Mayor Tyler Warman, and Reeve Murray Kerik will discuss the opportunities when First Nations and Municipalities work together when facing disaster.

Prevention  - Preparedness  - Response  - Recovery. We know the four phases of emergency preparedness; now, learn the importance of applying a cooperative approach to dangerous goods emergency management. Walk through a case study that details how industry, first responders, emergency response contractors and government work together during dangerous goods emergencies.

Public Sector organizations, like municipalities, provide essential services and first response in emergencies to many Canadians. These services include areas like transportation, public health, public safety, energy, water and waste water utilities. The delivery of these essential services, as well as the effective functioning of municipal governments, are becoming more reliant on Information Technology.

Cyber-attacks on Public Sector organizations continue to rise as we need to balance the need to provide accessible, easy-to-use services to the public while ensuring the Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability of the information assets.  

The Government of Alberta relies on information provided by its partners to maintain situational awareness and to obtain and share best practices, lessons learned, incident trending and mitigation advice.

We will talk about what the Government of Alberta is seeing, how are we responding to these cyber threats and how can we help you in the cyber battlefield.  

You are a vital cyber partner and I look forward to answering your questions and discussing your ideas to strengthen our partnership.

The City of Lloydminster has recognized that to create a sustainable ESS response in the City it must develop relationships with partner agencies, regional municipal partners and local Non-Profit Organizations (NPO). The approach seeks to redefine the structure and organization of its ESS Plan to capitalize on the EOC and management team. The City's approach is using partnerships and ICS Canada management principles that support NPOs in the community who provide front line services every day and capitalize on existing, strong inter-agency relationships. The City is developing an effective and sustainable ESS response.
 
The City of Calgary has implemented an intersectoral partnership model, including all orders of government and community organizations, to strengthen and build capacity in Calgary within the emergency management phases (preparedness, response and recovery). This model brings together a collaboration of diverse partners who work together leveraging skills and resources. An intersectoral framework incorporates a Non-Profit Organization Liaison function in the EOC to serve as a central point for two-way communication and coordination with NPOs in Calgary during an emergency or disaster. The NPO Liaison also convenes NPOs during non-emergency times to establish best practices, provide resources and support (i.e. business continuity and emergency planning), facilitate exercises and enhance collaboration.
                                             
Representatives from the City of Lloydminster, City of Calgary and two non-profit organizations in Calgary will provide information on how to form intersectoral partnerships in your community with realistic expectations and learnings. Calgary will provide an overview of the structure of the ESS Program, NPO Liaison function, Emergency Wellness Response Team (non-profit provide emotional support), Distress Centre (non-profits who assist ESS when required) and the Non-Profit Emergency Preparedness and Business Continuity Project in Calgary (Carya is leading this project).

Pandemic influenza is unlike other disaster's we routinely deal with. The effects of a pandemic will be widespread, likely worldwide. In addition, the emergency phase of this disaster will come in waves, stretch out over months and will be a huge draw on the health system. For governments and organizations, the primary effect of this disaster will be on staffing levels, as staff may be unable to be at work for indeterminate amounts of time.

Can you continue your time-critical business when faced with long-term staffing shortages? Are there things you can do now to help you during a pandemic?

Come join us as we explore the effects of a long-term staffing disruption and how we might increase our resilience to this kind of emergency.

This session includes the findings of a Master's thesis on disaster debris management in Alberta and the resulting findings and recommendations for improving our debris management practices in Alberta.

The City of Lloydminster has recognized that to create a sustainable ESS response in the City it must develop relationships with partner agencies, regional municipal partners and local Non-Profit Organizations (NPO). The approach seeks to redefine the structure and organization of its ESS Plan to capitalize on the EOC and management team. The City's approach is using partnerships and ICS Canada management principles that support NPOs in the community who provide front line services every day and capitalize on existing, strong inter-agency relationships. The City is developing an effective and sustainable ESS response.
 
The City of Calgary has implemented an intersectoral partnership model, including all orders of government and community organizations, to strengthen and build capacity in Calgary within the emergency management phases (preparedness, response and recovery). This model brings together a collaboration of diverse partners who work together leveraging skills and resources. An intersectoral framework incorporates a Non-Profit Organization Liaison function in the EOC to serve as a central point for two-way communication and coordination with NPOs in Calgary during an emergency or disaster. The NPO Liaison also convenes NPOs during non-emergency times to establish best practices, provide resources and support (i.e. business continuity and emergency planning), facilitate exercises and enhance collaboration.
                                             
Representatives from the City of Lloydminster, City of Calgary and two non-profit organizations in Calgary will provide information on how to form intersectoral partnerships in your community with realistic expectations and learnings. Calgary will provide an overview of the structure of the ESS Program, NPO Liaison function, Emergency Wellness Response Team (non-profit provide emotional support), Distress Centre (non-profits who assist ESS when required) and the Non-Profit Emergency Preparedness and Business Continuity Project in Calgary (Carya is leading this project).

Recently, we have seen catastrophic and deadly wildfires around the world. In Canada, recent examples of such events include the Fort McMurray wildfire (the costliest natural disaster in Canadian history) and a record breaking years for wildfire activity in British Columbia in 2017 and 2018. Wildfires have contributed to a drop in National GDP and significant evacuations of communities across Canada. On average, 7,000 wildland fires burn about 2.5 million ha (about half the size of Nova Scotia) every year. The area burned has more than doubled since the 1970s primarily due to human-caused climate change. Impacts from wildfires are rising due to increasing wildfire activity along with increasing societal values on the landscape. Canadian wildfire management agencies currently spend $800 million protecting Canadians and these expenditures are steadily growing.
 
What does the future hold for wildfire in Canada? This session will address the potential impacts of climate change on Canada's forests. In particular, how changes in future fire intensity may be a game changer. How will we manage wildfires in the future given the changing fire environment and the likely increase of humans on the landscape?