Ouranos is launching a call for projects with the aim of reducing the vulnerability of essential systems to the effects of climate change and strengthening their resilience. This call for projects focusing on the energy, transportation and telecommunications sectors will result in funding for at least two research projects, with a total amount of $600,000 for all selected projects.

In 2023, several extreme events that were partly associated with climate change occurred in Quebec, calling attention to the vulnerability of certain essential systems. 

Forest fires in Northern Quebec disrupted services provided by several telecom operators. Residential phones and internet were slowed or interrupted in the communities of Miquelon, Waswanipi, Chapais, Chibougamau, Mistissini and Oujé-Bougoumou.

The dense smoke generated by these fires triggered protection mechanisms and disrupted power transmission from James Bay. That left many homes without power further south in the province. The same thing happened after the ice storm on April 5, 2023, and the violent storms on July 13. 

Transportation systems also had problems. In the Saguenay region, Route 170 was cut off for several days at Rivière-Éternité following the tragic landslide on July 1. In Greater Montréal, heavy water accumulation following a torrential rainfall disrupted rush-hour road traffic as well as the operation of the REM and metro systems. 

These recent events demonstrate how exposed essential systems are to climate-influenced extreme events and highlight the importance of developing knowledge to ensure that Quebecers have resilient, well-adapted essential systems in the years to come. This is the reason for this call for projects, issued in collaboration with the member organizations of the Unité mixte de recherche (UMR) project on civil, public and defence security in the context of climate change, and funded by the Quebec government. It also meets the objectives of the 2030 Plan for a Green Economy.