Ottawa-Urgent action must be undertaken by the federal government to strengthen Canada’s critical transportation infrastructure against the risk of catastrophic damage caused by extreme weather events, says a report from the Senate transport committee.

While the private sector has commenced climate change mitigation efforts, the federal government must plan for and fund protection of transportation infrastructure and work with provinces, territories, municipalities, Indigenous communities and the private sector to ensure emergency plans and supplies are in place in case of extreme weather events, said the committee that has studied the issue for the last two years.

The Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway are one of the four areas identified as at risk from the potential impact of floods, forest fires, landslides, storms, melting permafrost and other climate threats.

Among the challenges facing the Seaway are warmer temperatures, unpredictable water levels and reduced ice cover, which results in shoreline erosion, the report said. Rising temperatures are lengthening the Seaway’s shipping season and that means more freight could be moved by ships than trucks, which would reduce carbon emissions.

Higher water levels could increase wave impact on port infrastructure. The increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events can damage and reduce the lifespan of infrastructure, and the seaway has been no stranger to such events.

The report noted that new intermodal railway facilities in the Port of Hamilton have been waiting for two years for the Canada Border Services Agency to establish customs clearance for the facility. Port officials say that “Once these facilities open, trucks can be taken off the road and their cargo can be moved via marine and rail transport, which have a lower carbon footprint.”

Committee chairman Senator Leo Housakos said the relationship between critical infrastructure and the impacts of adverse environmental events is a two-way street. The report “also makes clear that private interests are doing a better job than the federal government in taking mitigating actions; and they’re doing so responsibly, as part of their business plan, versus the government’s approach of just making everything more expensive for Canadians.”

Deputy Chair Julie Miville-Dechene said “Climate change is happening and it’s only going to get worse. Canada is in no way ready for what is to come. Our committee has made 10 recommendations to the federal government that will give us a chance to prepare.”

The damage that extreme weather events could cause to Canada’s transportation hubs and supply chain network threatens public safety and the country’s long-term economic prosperity.

Other examples of threatened infrastructure cited in the report is a vital rail corridor connecting Nova Scotia with the rest of mainland Canada, “which is in danger of washing away as sea levels rise and violent storms occur more frequently, putting at risk residents and the transportation of $35 billion per year in goods and services.”

The roads and railways servicing the Port of Vancouver — which sustain more than 115,000 jobs and enables the trade of more than $300 billion in goods each year — are also vulnerable to extreme weather events. To reduce its risk of sinking into the ocean, the Vancouver airport is raising the dykes that protect it from flooding, erosion and potential seismic events.

This news item prepared for National Newswatch