The Lighthouse Project pilot is now closed. Pilot findings are available here as links to two Tamarack Institute Case Studies — one from the pilot’s midway point, and the second after its completion. A third resource is a paper published in the December 2020 issue of Canadian Journal of Public Health. Neighbourhood Climate Resilience: lessons from the Lighthouse Project.
A recording of the final reporting to Tamarack’s Community of Practice and specially invited panel of expert reviewers is available here.
To take part in ongoing conversation around these issues, consider joining Tamarack’s Citizens & Emergency Preparedness Community of Practice
Project Background
Neighbourhoods are most resilient when residents know each other, have developed multiple active networks, care for their vulnerable neighbours and have committed and tangible external supports.
From November 2017 to November 2018 CREW is managing The Lighthouse Project, a pilot that explores the potential of Community Climate Resilience Hubs in three GTHA cities.
Faith & the Common Good (FCG) is the project lead with support from the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
Lighthouse Project Resilience Animators
CREW’s ongoing extreme weather resilience work is focused on building a social infrastructure for climate response. For the past three years, CREW, FCG, and the School for Social Entrepreneurs have explored different ways of building community resilience and promoting local emergency preparedness. Learn more about our collaborative work at, Community-Led Action for Resilience in Our Neighbourhoods (CLARION)
In addition to its focus on identifying neighbourhood social capital and enhancing social infrastructure, The Lighthouse Project explores the important role that Faith communities can play in helping to curate community resilience hubs where residents feel welcome, animated, and willing to stay and contribute.
Brampton
Brampton, known as the Flower City of Canada, has a population of 593,638.
Mass immigration has greatly increased Brampton’s population from 250,000 in the early 1990s. Today “visible minorities” make up 73.3% of Brampton’s population, which is 45% South Asian and 20% Sikh.
All statistics from the 2016 census.
Toronto
St James Town is a neighbourhood in downtown Toronto.
Its high rise towers are home to one of the highest density and most diverse populations in North America.
Beasley
Beasley is one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Hamilton. It is Hamilton’s “arrival city” with newcomer immigrants making up 14% of the area’s residents, compared to just 3% for the city as a whole. As many as 27%, of Beasley’s residents have activity limitations, compared to 16% in the rest of the city.
Which of the following is a Community Climate Resilience Hub?
1) A network of volunteers and other stakeholders?
2) An anchor site for convening meetings, workshops and parties?
3) A collection of resources for making residents and neighbourhoods safe and extreme
weather ready?
4) A place where a range of climate expertise can be found or leveraged to serve the
community?
Answer: Any or all of the above!
CREW Toronto 