The Yukon is seeing climate change hazards and a higher rate and with higher severity than our southern counterparts. We are experiencing warmer weather with more rain and snow. Floods, wildfires and thawing permafrost are only some of the ways climate change can damage our roads and buildings.
This project addresses 2 action items in Yukon Governments’ strategy for climate change, clean energy, and a green economy. Specifically, the work will address Our Clean Future actions H10, to “develop and implement a plan by 2024 to conduct routine monitoring of the structural condition of Government of Yukon buildings located on permafrost” and H15, to “Continue to conduct climate risk assessments of all major building projects over $10 million that are built or funded by the Government of Yukon.”
The project is called “Building Resilience Initiative”. Through it, we’ll develop tools to help us better understand how we can prepare the Yukon’s buildings for climate change. We’ll pilot these tools on Yukon government facilities. By doing this, we can make sure they’re suitable for buildings across Yukon communities. Project outcomes include:
- an assessment of the exposure of buildings to flood, wildfire and permafrost hazards;
- a rapid assessment tool to evaluate building resilience to climate hazards;
- quality control processes; and
- training materials for building management and construction professionals.