This new grant program could help your community
On June 16 2026, a joint meeting of the City’s Environment & Climate Change Committee and Emergency Preparedness & Protective Services Committee approved the proposed Pilot Extreme Weather Preparedness Grant Program — $1 million over three years to help community organizations prepare for the coming climate change impacts on our neighbourhoods.
The program will provide up to $50,000 per year to local non-profit organizations for efforts to strengthen neighbourhood-level preparedness. Funding will support practical, on-the-ground solutions. These include creating community emergency plans, training volunteers, and improving coordination and public awareness.
Funding will also support buying and sharing essential equipment and supplies, including mobile generators and power stations, temporary shelters, radios, safety equipment and emergency kits. These resources should help communities respond faster during emergencies, support residents where they live, and reduce pressure on first responders and social services, but are not intended to replace emergency services.
Plans are to launch the program before the end of the year. Eligible organizations include community associations, non-profits and other local groups that support residents and have the capacity to deliver projects at the neighbourhood level.
Why this program is a big deal
Climate Ready Ottawa, Ottawa’s climate resiliency and adaptation strategy, approved in November 2025, names extreme weather preparedness as a core priority for 2026–2030. This grant program is a concrete move to put resources behind that.
In the City’s survey of 72 community organizations, fewer than one-third had any kind of emergency plan. The top requests were backup power, communications, training, planning, and coordination.
CAFES public delegation – Support plus constructive input
CAFES very much welcomes the pilot. Having been part of Climate Ready Ottawa consultations and having gone through the staff report carefully, we raised four constructive points:
- Community centres should be hubs, not silos. Equipment funded by this grant should be storable at community centres, with proper emergency access for community leaders — not kept artificially separate from the City’s own facility preparedness.
- Connect applicants to the utilities. Power outages are the #1 risk, especially during heat waves and cold spells. Community grant applicants need a point of contact and briefing from Hydro Ottawa and Hydro One so they can plan properly and avoid duplication.
- Rural realities are different. Longer response times, dispersed populations, livestock that need continuous power. The grant criteria need to reflect that, not treat rural as an afterthought.
- Define “professionals.” The report requires training and service delivery be led by “professionals” but never says what qualifies. Does a community leader with ten years of hands-on experience count? Applicants deserve clear guidance before they invest time writing a proposal.
If you want to dig into the details yourself, here’s the City staff report.
You can watch the recording of the meeting here, and Angela’s delegation is at 33:35 minutes. The delegation presentation is below.