Initiatives in Focus Session: A Profile of Earthquake Risk in Canada

November 17  1-3pm

Convened by Murray Journeay (NRCan), With Tiegan Hobbs (NRCan), Jackie Yipp (NRCan), Vitor Silva (Global Earthquake Model Foundation) & Anirudh Rao (Global Earthquake Model Foundation)​

• Natural Resources Canada is developing an earthquake risk model for Canada that will establish a base of evidence to inform disaster resilience planning in accordance with policy and technical implementation guidelines established as part of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR). The model is implemented using GEM’s OpenQuake Engine. It extends the scope of probabilistic seismic hazard models currently used to inform Canada’s National Building Code (NBCC) by introducing a structured framework of indicators that profile physical, social and economic dimensions of earthquake risk at the neighbourhood scale. Indicators are aligned with the SFDRR monitoring framework and are used to both analyze existing baseline conditions of earthquake risk, and evaluate opportunities for risk reduction through proactive investments in seismic mitigation.

Understanding Risk (UR) BC 2020 (www.urbc.ca) is an online, collaborative symposium and event series that will foster place-based risk reduction strategies to proactively enhance resilience and improve disaster recovery pathways in BC.

URBC 2020 will feature online events from summer to fall- 2020:

• Summer Webinars: Hear from local and international experts on the holistic understanding of disaster impacts
• Pre-symposium Workshops: Interactive sessions to learn and contribute to understanding risk in BC
• Launch Events: September and November sessions that merge art, knowledge, practice and policy to share key updates, and offer a sneak-peek at upcoming themes and sessions.
• Initiatives-in-focus Workshops: Step into the shoes of leading practitioners and policy makers in BC to wrestle with emerging issues that aim to reduce disaster risk and build resilience
• Dialogue Panels: Tune into exciting conversations that examine key tensions, challenges and opportunities to improve disaster recovery pathways in BC   
• Closing: Connect, reflect, celebrate and initiate next steps

Event Objectives

• Reporting on progress of actionable strategies and outcomes from previous and ongoing UR Symposiums as well as related DRR/CCA efforts
• Demonstrate components of the BC Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Hub, identify opportunities for its short-term priorities and advance its long term financial and governance model
• Advance essential and non-traditional partnerships across the science-policy-action interface to reduce risk and build resilience
• Make connections across projects and initiatives towards enhanced collaboration and reduced duplication
• Support advancement and implementation of existing recommendations and commitments that have been made in BC and Canada in relation to climate and disaster risk management by fostering generative dialogue across disciplines and cultures