Hamilton Conservation Authority Climate Change Strategy (2012)

The City of Hamilton, Ontario, has experienced several cases of extreme weather over the past decade including flooding, drought and wind events. Recognizing that these events are expected to increase in both frequency and intensity as the climate changes, the Hamilton Conservation Authority decided to develop a climate change adaptation strategy based on a watershed approach.

The case study explores the major tenets of the strategy and discusses the challenges, process, next steps and lessons learned. These elements may assist other municipalities and conservation authorities in developing their own adaptation strategy with a watershed approach.