Interdisciplinary teams from SFU and the University of Victoria (UVIC) will partner to study climate challenges and solutions. They will specifically focus on solutions for remote, rural, and Indigenous communities in BC. To do this, they received a grant of $1 million from the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS). The team includes professors with health science and civil engineering backgrounds from both institutions.
Their research aims to understand and address issues regarding how these communities are impacted by climate change. Project partners will investigate different policies within specific housing practices that aid isolated communities to fashion climate-friendly solutions while addressing the damage these communities face due to climate change.
The project focuses on remote regions in BC due to the lack of attention these areas receive as opposed to densely populated major cities. Disasters such as wildfires and floods threaten the lives of the people living in these areas, as professor Nancy Olewiler discussed. These communities are being prioritized because of their smaller population size, as they may not have the resources or capacity to address the effects of these risks.
Michael Sadler, executive director of the First Nations Housing and Infrastructure Council, added: “We know we need to assist our Nations in creating housing that’s resilient and responsive to climate change.”
Over the next four years, the project will focus on “designing practical frameworks to build climate resilience and capacity in these communities.“ In addition, the team will host a workshop for rural Indigenous communities occurring in May to introduce the purpose of the project. Rob Hill, acting director of Indigenous asset management at BC Housing, says they plan to share interests and goals such as to “amplify the voices of Indigenous peoples, by enabling communities and community members to articulate, in their own words, the climate changes happening in their territory.”
The project is also taking input from these rural communities to update building legislation and requirements to ensure future infrastructure is built with climate change in mind.
Ian Mauro, executive director of the PICS, highlighted the importance of Indigenous knowledge and how the solutions will be created using the combined knowledge of Indigenous peoples and academics. “We’re building knowledge that is holistic, integrative and respectful,” Mauro said.
