About
Adaptation Canada is back, and it’s more expansive in its reach than ever.
Now in its third edition, Canada’s leading national conference on climate adaptation will bring together over 1,000 participants from diverse sectors and communities across Canadian sectors, communities, and regions.
Photo of ‘We Are One’ mosaic by The GreenLight artist collective, Shane Pointe, Sarita Baker and Rob Martin, located in Vancouver, British Columbia
Adaptation Canada 2026 is an opportunity for delegates to:
Interact with national leaders in the climate adaptation and resilience space
Hear diverse perspectives from across the country
Explore a variety of on-the-ground adaptation initiatives across Toronto
Learn about and contribute to the future direction of local, regional, and national climate adaptation efforts
Connect with other people and organizations committed to building a climate-resilient future through a whole-of-society approach
Conference Themes
Adaptation Canada 2026 is designed around six themes:
Navigating Complexity: Risks, Impacts, and Urgency
Explores Canada’s evolving climate risk landscape, considering topics such as regional and sectoral vulnerabilities, the role of climate data in decision-making, understanding and assessing risk, navigating uncertainty, and more.
Power in Partnerships: Co-creating Adaptation
Dive into collaboration, reconciliation, and shared leadership, including topics such as working together in the face of multiple and evolving crises, coordinating policy and action across jurisdictions and sectors, weaving together Indigenous knowledge and Western science, collaborative approaches for financing adaptation, and more.
Designing Solutions: Adaptation in Practice
Learn about practical tools, models, and scalable projects that are driving adaptation forward on the ground, including topics such as resilient infrastructure and housing, nature-based solutions, emerging investment practices, and more.
Equity at the Centre: Just and Inclusive Adaptation
Understand the importance of addressing adaptation through an equity and justice-based lens, exploring topics such as systemic barriers, accessible and community-designed solutions, how equity can be integrated into all levels of action, and more.
Adaptive Leadership: Systems for Change
Reflect on the systems and leadership needed for long-term resilience, including topics such as local and regional leadership, legal and regulatory frameworks, learning from failure, measurement and accountability, the conditions needed for transformative change, and more.
Outside the Box: Innovative and Creative Approaches
Get inspired by bold and creative approaches to adaptation, including topics such as intergenerational dialogue and storytelling, innovative technologies, art, design, and cultural expression as tools for adaptation, building a culture of resilience across sectors and jurisdictions, and more.
About the program
Concurrent Sessions & Plenaries
Choose from 60+ sessions that go deep into the topics shaping resilience and adaptation, from infrastructure and housing to health, Indigenous leadership, nature-based solutions, and even art and technology.
With a variety of dynamic session formats including expert panels, hands-on workshops, interactive discussions, and inspiring presentations, delegates will walk away with practical insights, real-world examples, and ideas that can be put into action.
Study Tours & Parallel Events
Study tours encourage participants to step outside the conference walls and see adaptation in action. These immersive opportunities connect theory with on-the-ground practice, offering inspiration, candid lessons learned, and fresh perspectives.
Parallel events create space for focused learning, peer exchange, and deeper conversations with people tackling similar challenges. Each event has been thoughtfully designed by conference partners who bring their own expertise to the subject-matter.
Networking Breaks & Receptions
From meal breaks to receptions and everything in-between, the Adaptation Canada 2026 program offers countless opportunities to meet other practitioners, exchange ideas, and strengthen collaborative bonds.
At the Exhibitor Pavilion, delegates are invited to hear from and connect with organizations working across the adaptation spectrum to discover and ask questions about innovative tools, programs, and services.
Adaptation Canada 2026 is delivered by ICLEI Canada with support from a network of partners. It is funded in part by the Government of Canada.
In partnership with
