The Ontario First Nations Technical Services Corporation (OFNTSC), working together with Engineers Canada and Stantec, have collaboratively developed a First Nations Public Infrastructure Engineering Vulnerability Committee (PIEVC) Toolkit. The First Nations PIEVC Toolkit aims to assist First Nations in identifying and developing mitigation measures for risks to infrastructure in First Nations.
Three First Nations in Ontario have tested the kit to ensure its viability for future use. Those three First Nations are Mohawks of Akwesasne, Oneida Nation of the Thames, and Moose Cree First Nation. The toolkit was funded in part by the Government of Canada and Ontario.
The Toolkit provides First Nations with a tool that will allow the climate change risks assessed by First Nations, to be incorporated into asset management plans. Protection of critical infrastructure through comprehensive operations and maintenance plans allows for expanded maintenance, repairs, and the replacement of infrastructure after its life cycle is complete.
“The effects that climate change is having on the world are undeniable. For First Nations this means a fundamental shift in the way that infrastructure is maintained and operated to mitigate the risks of a changing climate” said Melanie Debassige, executive director of the OFNTSC.
Debassige continued “The OFNTSC’s Operations and Maintenance Service has worked tirelessly to assist First Nations with asset management plans to ensure critical infrastructure is maintained for future generations use. Addressing climate change are the next steps for First Nations, in the process of maintaining assets.”
As part of the OFNTSC’s continued commitment to First Nations, the OFNTSC’S Operations and Maintenance Service has been working with tribal councils and First Nations on understanding the effects of climate change. The Toolkit incorporates data from Indigenous Services Canada’s Asset Condition Reporting System (ACRS) and Integrated Capital Management System (ICMS) databases to ensure the most recent data is available to First Nations when using the toolkit. The toolkit also accommodates for traditional and local knowledge in the data gathering process.
For more information on the OFNTSC First Nations PIEVC Toolkit, visit www.ofntsc.org.
