Le Soleil – Léa Martin
“How can we cope with temperatures that rise year after year, or with pollen waves that are becoming increasingly severe? How can we rethink our cities and buildings to adapt to the growing impacts of climate change? A brand-new program at Université Laval aimed at architects, engineers, and urban planners seeks to answer these pressing questions and help redesign the living environments of tomorrow.”
On Wednesday, the Minister of the Environment and the Fight Against Climate Change, Mr. Benoit Charette, announced the allocation of up to $1,917,959 in financial support over four years to the educational institution to create this new program, which will be offered starting in the spring of 2021.
The program is being developed by the Québec Observatory on Climate Change Adaptation, in partnership with the professional orders in urban planning, architecture, and engineering. The approximately 22‑hour training can be completed entirely online and at each participant’s own pace. ‘The goal is to provide them with this knowledge so they can apply it in their professional practice,’ explains Pierre Valois, full professor in the Faculty of Education and director of the Observatory. ‘And we also want to ensure that this training will lead to lasting changes in their practices over time,’ he adds.
This training will therefore enable professionals to adapt their working methods, for example, by designing cooler buildings or by helping reduce urban heat islands.
According to Pierre Valois, it is essential for planning and construction professionals to start adapting now to the changes we are already experiencing and to those that will be unavoidable in the coming years
« Our builders must constantly renew themselves in order to account for the effects of climate change and the risks they pose for their projects. Being able to rely on a qualified workforce will allow Québec, particularly its municipalities, to accelerate the implementation of meaningful projects in all regions » wrote the Minister of the Environment and the Fight Against Climate Change, Benoit Charette, in a press release.
The program is being developed in collaboration with the Ouranos research consortium and is co‑funded by the governments of Canada and Québec. The Québec Observatory on Climate Change Adaptation has been working on these issues since 2012 to help improve the quality of life of Quebecers.