Evaluation Summary, June 2021
The Transportation Adaptation and Resilience Initiatives (TARI) consist of the Northern Transportation Adaptation Initiative (NTAI) and the Transportation Assets Risk Assessment Initiative (TARA). These initiatives support adaptation projects through grants and contributions as well as other operating cost (OOC) funds. These initiatives fall under the adaptation pillar of the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change (PCF).
The Evaluation of TARI assessed the relevance, design, delivery, and results of these initiatives, beginning in 2015-16 for NTAI and 2017-18 for TARA. The NTAI was previously evaluated in 2015. Data collection methods included a document and literature review, key informant interviews, program database review, and project file review.
Program information
NTAI (Northern Transportation Adaptation Initiative)
NTAI began in 2011 under the Clean Air Agenda, was renewed in 2016, and renewed again in 2017 under the PCF with funding until 2020-21. Since 2011, NTAI has funded over 100 projects.
- 29 approved projects from fiscal year 2018-19 to 2020-21
- $6.9M available budget from 2018-19 to 2020-21
TARA (Transportation Assets Risk Assessment Initiative)
TARA was announced in 2017 as part of federal adaptation measures under the PCF, with funding through 2021-22.
- 50 funded projects from fiscal year 2017-18 to 2021-22
- $16.35M available budget from 2017-18 to 2021-22
Findings
- NTAI and TARA support departmental and federal government priorities.
- NTAI and TARA are uniquely situated in federal adaptation efforts. There are efforts to ensure complementarity without significant overlap.
- NTAI and TARA address ongoing needs related to climate change.
- Flexibility in program delivery is particularly important in a Northern context. The NTAI has been aware of and responsive to the needs of recipients, but there are opportunities for improvement.
- For the NTAI, collaborative relationships with stakeholders are central to program effectiveness. The Policy and Programs teams strive to balance this with the requirements of the Policy on Transfer Payments. Within this context, there is an opportunity to learn from approaches taken by other federal partners, to ensure region- and community-specific transportation adaptation needs are met.
- The scope of TARA is limited to risk assessments and related studies for federally-owned/managed assets. Other transportation assets and intermediary activities following risk assessments do not have access to similarly focused federal support.
- Both the NTAI and TARA have had success in increasing knowledge and awareness of climate change risks. While knowledge-sharing through workshops and other means has been effective, there are barriers and gaps related to knowledge dissemination and data availability.
- NTAI has bolstered capacity in territorial governments and academia to address climate change adaptation. Differences in capacity amongst stakeholders remains a key consideration.
- TARA has enabled recipients to take the first steps in assessing and planning for climate risks.
- Since the 2015 Evaluation, NTAI has made progress in supporting more applied research and pilot testing. Interviews found that there is a need for both testing and ongoing data collection.
- Some TARA recipients said initial risk assessments are high-level and often further work needs to be done prior to decision-making and implementation.
- Stakeholders identified a need for further support for direct action and implementation of adaptation measures.
- Cost analysis of climate change impacts would help stakeholders highlight and communicate the economic value of prioritizing adaptation needs.
- NTAI collects program- and project-level performance information on capacity and knowledge sharing. TARA is in the early stages of program maturity and currently tracks project-level data.
Recommendations
- Explore opportunities to enhance NTAI's timelines, processes, and engagement practices to improve service delivery for all northern stakeholders.
- Consult other federal programs in which collaborative relationships are central to determine if there are practices that could be adopted to further enhance the effectiveness of the NTAI, while meeting appropriate Transfer Payment Policy requirements.
- Identify options for further knowledge dissemination amongst TARA stakeholders, and for increased engagement and knowledge-sharing with non-academic stakeholders through NTAI Network activities.
Actions
The NTAI sunset in March 2021 and TARA is scheduled to sunset in March 2022. Because these initiatives were not renewed in Budget 2021, there are no proposed actions at this time.
However, TC will support the development of a National Adaptation Strategy (NAS), led by Environment and Climate Change Canada.