I appreciate those comments from the Minister, and I appreciate all those projects that are happening. Many of them — for example, the energy plans and the work with Arctic Energy Alliance — are of course mitigation, especially reducing the cost of living, I hope, but in the process, reducing greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change.
Unfortunately we’re in a situation where there is a certain amount of unavoidable climate change, which will happen only over the next four to six decades if we can get it stopped very soon. It’s that change that I’m talking about adapting to. Rather than preventing climate change, in this case I’m looking for sort of a comprehensive strategy, perhaps a format for community plans and a process for implementing them, dedicated funds and so on, that actually address things like how buildings should be built now given the uncertainty in climate, how roads should be built now given the uncertainty in climate, and all those sorts of issues — sewage lagoons that could, with excessive rain
storms, as we’ve heard, all of a sudden drain out and so on: pretty practical community plans that bring this sort of information to the table in a practical way. I’m not so much looking for research, although I’m very glad that research is happening, because that can always improve that.
I think the degree to which we can plan ahead in a methodical and municipal way is the degree to which we will avoid the need for emergency planning coordinators and so on. So yes, I’m looking for a comprehensive strategy. Does the department have one? Are they contemplating one that engages each community in developing a plan — ideally, a regional plan, because as I say, we have such different climates across our huge territory.