Feds and ICLR announce new recovery and resilience centre

Public Safety Canada today announced the launch of its new Canadian Centre for Recovery and Resilience at the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR)’s Disaster Resilience Display Centre in Toronto.

Through the centre, ICLR, the research arm of the Canadian property and casualty insurance industry, and Public Safety Canada are offering their expertise in disaster recovery, risk reduction, and resilience to help communities plan for recovery.

The aim is to help communities recover more quickly from natural catastrophes, and rebuild in ways that make them safer and more resilient in the future.

“Canadians are living with the impacts of climate change every day, and when disaster strikes, they can count on us to be there — from the first response through to rebuilding,” Eleanor Olszewski, the minister of emergency management and community resilience, says in a news release.

“The new Centre for Recovery and Resilience will provide expert advice, practical tools, and direct support to make sure recovery efforts are quick, coordinated, and focused on keeping people safe. It’s about rebuilding in ways that protect communities today and make them stronger for the future.”

Specifically, the centre is designed to:

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• Help local governments develop recovery plans that include resilience and risk reduction.
• Connect communities with a network of recovery practitioners who can share experiences, knowledge, and ideas.
• Develop practical tools and resources to support communities during recovery.
• Create training and learning events designed to advance the knowledge and practice of recovery in Canada.

The federal government notes many recent natural catastrophes have highlighted how challenging recovery efforts can be, including the Lytton wildfire in 2021, Hurricane Fiona in 2022, the wildfires in the Northwest Territories in 2023, and the intense wildfire seasons of 2024 and 2025.

In response, the government earlier announced changes to its Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA) program to address shortfalls in disaster recovery knowledge and guidance in Canada.

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The establishment of the Canadian Centre for Recovery and Resilience comes as part of the modernization of the DFAA program, Public Safety notes.

“During the DFAA Review, Public Safety heard from partners across Canada that the lack of early access to recovery expertise contributed to delays in reconstruction and missed opportunities to incorporate risk reduction and resilience measures into recovery,” the department states.

Last year at the National Insurance Conference of Canada, Rebecca Denlinger, retired deputy manager of Emergency Management B.C., emphasized the importance of having a plan in place before a catastrophe takes place.

She says these plans will help focus people’s thinking on building resilience when they are in shock at the enormity of their loss.

“I don’t know if people here are familiar with the term called the ‘amygdala hijack,’” Denlinger told attended at the 2024 NICC in Vancouver. “That’s when something scares you so badly that you can’t think; your cognitive brain goes bonkers.

“And I know from being a structure firefighter that one of the ways you get around that is training and learning to do something really simple with your brain, like spell your name backwards. If that’s too difficult, count to 10 and it re-engages your cognitive brain.

“And this is what having a plan that’s familiar to an individual homeowner or a business owner can do for them in that moment of shock and astounding terror.”

In this spirit, the centre’s website currently provides the Community Pre-Disaster Recovery Planning Toolbox.

This toolbox includes a step-by-step guide, templates, and checklists to support the creation of recovery plans tailored to local needs.

The centre also gives communities a way to share and learn from one another’s experiences through a virtual network consisting of professionals working in disaster recovery and related fields.

“This initiative will ensure Canadians recover sooner after a flood, wildfire, or other hazard, with added protection to reduce the risk of another loss,” says ICLR’s executive director Paul Kovacs. “Sharing best practices, building a community of experts, and planning will provide a comprehensive foundation for transformative improvement in recovery outcomes.”

David Gambrill

David has twice served as Canadian Underwriter’s senior editor, both from 2005 to 2012, and again from 2017 to the present.