Northern Infrastructure Standardization Initiative (NISI)
QUÉBEC, Feb. 16, 2023 /CNW/ - The Bureau de normalisation du Québec (BNQ) announces the publication of the Canadian standard CAN/BNQ 9701-500 Risk-Based Approach for Community Planning in Northern Regions - Requirements and Guidance aimed at supporting the development of infrastructure resilient to climate change in northern regions.
The BNQ was given the mandate by the Standards Canadian Council (SCC) to develop a Canadian national standard intended for specialists in land–use planning in northern communities. The publication of this standard is part of the Northern Infrastructure Standardization Initiative (NISI) 
through which the SCC supports the development of standards to make sustainable and more resilient infrastructure in a context of climate change.
This new standard defines a uniform methodology for the development of land development suitability (LDS) maps which focuses on climate change. These maps, developed as part of the risk management defined in this new Canadian standard, will be valuable tools to support community planning in northern regions.
Canada's North, where warming is occurring much faster than in the rest of the country, is highly vulnerable to the effects of increasing climate change: permafrost degradation, severe storms, melting sea ice, coastal erosion. For example, increasing air temperature and precipitations affect ground temperatures, and thus permafrost stability. Erosion caused by snowmelt, rainwater runoff, and subsurface drainage is increasingly widespread and extreme. Hence, several northern communities must deal with the constant erosion of their lands and flooding.
"The BNQ is proud to take part in initiatives that promote the sustainable development of Canada's northern communities by contributing to the development of climate change adaptation and mitigation measures for its infrastructure. The development of this consensus-based standard will support specialists in their decision-making. Climate change is a major challenge for the built environment and northern regions are experiencing it at an accelerated rate", says Mélanie Robitaille, Director of Operations at BNQ.
"Canada's North is extremely vulnerable to the effects of climate change, and the impacts on communities are enormous. Our initiative (NISI) aims at finding solutions designed by and for the North. Since 2011, the SCC has been working with communities, standards development organizations, and experts from across northern Canada to ensure that standards reflect the unique vulnerabilities of the region's infrastructure. It is standards like those developed by the BNQ that will help us build and maintain resilient infrastructure", says Chantal Guay, Chief Executive Officer at SCC.
The standard CAN/BNQ 9701-500 Risk-Based Approach for Community Planning in Northern Regions - Requirements and Guidance is available free of charge on the BNQ website (https://www.bnq.qc.ca/en/standardization/civil-engineering-and-urban-infrastructure/community-planning-in-northern-regions.html ).
About the BNQ
The Bureau de normalisation du Québec (BNQ), an administrative unit of Investissement Québec, is the reference organization for standardization and certification in Quebec. It develops consensus-based standards and certification programs in accordance with the rules of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The BNQ is accredited by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC).
For further information on the BNQ: bnq.qc.ca/en/
View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/February2023/16/c5052.html
