Preliminary Programme (April 4, 2014)

CCF Symposium on

Extreme Weather: Impacts, challenges and adaptations

Tuesday April 22 – University of Ottawa

Wednesday April 23 and Thursday April 24, 2014

Fairmont Chateau Laurier Hotel, Ottawa

Tuesday April 22, 2014
Room 12112Desmarais Building, University of Ottawa, 55 Laurier Avenue East
17:00-
19:00 / Information sessionfor the public and press on the IPCC WG2 report : Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation; and on the WG3 report on Mitigation
  • Paul Kovacs, Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction
  • Erik Haites, Margaree Consultants Inc.
  • Mike Brklacich, Carleton University
  • Debra Davidson, University of Alberta
Light refreshments will be available / Chair: Gordon McBean
Wednesday April 23, 2014
Adam Room, Fairmont Chateau Laurier Hotel
09:00 / Welcome and overview (Symposium Chair: Gordon McBean)
09:20 / Keynote Speaker Scott Vaughan, President and CEO, IISD
Theme: The challenge of extreme events and their impact
09:50 / Session 1 Regional impacts and vulnerabilities
  • Bob Page, Director, Enbridge Centre for Corporate Sustainability, University of Calgary: Extreme events in Alberta, and emergency responses.

10:20 / Break
10:50 / Session 1 continued….
  • John Pomeroy, Director, Centre for Hydrology, U. Saskatchewan
From extreme weather to extreme hydrology: the Canadian Rockies Flood of June 2013
  • Ron Stewart, University of Manitoba: Coping with Dryness
Discussion
12:00 / Lunch
12:30 / Luncheon speaker
David Phillips, Senior Climatologist, Environment Canada
13:15 / Session 2: Health impacts
  • IqbalKalsi, London-Middlesex Health Unit, Urban vs. rural impacts and adaptations
  • Emmanuelle Cadot, IRD, France, Europeanheatwaves/adaptations: 2003 & 2006
  • Peter Berry , Health Canada,Climate Extremes and Human Health: Adaptation to Protect Canadians

14:30 / Session 3: The Science
Risk patterns in Canada; expected change in future in Canada/N.America
  • Jennifer Francis, Rutgers University: Influences on Extreme events
  • Francis Zwiers, Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium:Have Extreme Precipitation Events become More Extreme?

15:30 / Break
15: 50 / Session 4: Adaptations
  • Paul Kovacs, ICLR: Adapting Canadian homes to prevent damage from intense rainfall and severe wind
  • Deb Harford, ACCT, Simon Fraser University, Urban impacts and Adaptations

16:50 / Wrap-up of Day 1
17:00 – 19:00 / Reception
Thursday April 24, 2014
Adam Room, Fairmont Chateau Laurier Hotel
09:00 /
  • Sheri Fink, New York Times: Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital. (By Skype)

09:40 / Session 4 continued….
Don Lemmen, NRCan, Canada in a Changing Climate
Discussion
10:10 / Break
10:40 / Session 4 continued….
  • JacintheClavet-Gaumont, Ouranos: Impact of extreme events on the hydro-electric sector/Hydro Quebec
  • Michel Girard, V-P, Standards Council of Canada: Standards as Vital Tools for Adaptation
Discussion
11:40 / Session 5: Impacts and Challenges in the Insurance Sector
Chris White, Vice-president, Insurance Bureau of Canada: Financial impact of extreme environmental events – the insurance sector
12:10 / Lunch
13:10 / Session 6: Emergency Management and Preparedness
  • Ernest MacGillivray, Exec. Director, Emergency Services, N.B.
Managing the challenges of severe weather events
  • Barney Owens, Emergency Management Ontario
Discussion
14:10 / Session 7: Global implications
  • David Greenall, Sr. Manager, ERS/Sustainability, Deloitte: Macro economics of extreme events

14:40 / Discussion
Policy and decision-making in an unpredictable environment.
Proactive vs. reactive adaptation to extreme events
  • Reducing disaster risk and losses
  • Crisis prevention and recovery. Emergency preparedness
  • Best practices in adaptation in different sectors
  • Ongoing needs
Final discussion and wrap-up
15:10 / Conclusions– opportunities for Canada
15:30 / End of Symposium