From Silos to Synergy: Building a Climate-Resilient, Data-Informed Toronto Together
About the Event
Toronto is on the frontlines of climate change. From heatwaves to floods, the risks are rising, but so should our collective capacity to respond.
This isn’t another round of talks.
It’s about breaking down silos, aligning efforts, and turning shared vision into real action for a healthier, stronger, better connected, and more resilient city.
👥 Who Should Join
From Silos to Synergy: Building a Climate-Resilient, Data-Informed Toronto will bring together climate leaders, community organizers, emergency coordinators, service providers, educators, policy makers, researchers, and engaged residents for an outcome-focused gathering.
🎟️ Tickets
This is a free event.
If you’re able, we encourage a pay-what-you-can donation (suggested $20 CAD) to help cover costs and keep this work going. Every contribution matters — and no one will be turned away.
🌍 Why This Event Matters
Build connections across community adaptation efforts
Set shared goals for a climate-resilient Toronto
Identify barriers holding back collaboration
Commit to action with concrete next steps and accountability
🌱 Key Themes
Community Organizing – Supercharging grassroots climate action
Emergency Preparedness – Equipping neighbourhoods for rapid response
Supporting Unhoused Populations – Protecting those most vulnerable to climate shocks
Climate Literacy – Engaging residents and leaders at every level
🛠️ Workshop Experience
Our interactive session follows a five-stage flow to move from ideas → impact:
Connect: Build trust, share lived experiences
Define: Pinpoint the challenges that matter most
Diverge: Generate bold, creative ideas
Converge: Focus energy on what works
Commit: Define clear next steps, ownership, and timelines
📌 Outcome: A set of actionable commitments that participants will carry forward — not just discussion points left behind.
Speaker and Facilitate Lineup
🎤 Speakers
Megan Yeandle Manager of Community Engagement and Resilient Unit at Toronto Emergency Management (City of Toronto)
Bio: Megan Yeandle in the Manager of Community Resiliency and Engagement with Toronto Emergency Management. In her 5 years at City Megan’s worked in numerous product and service design roles to ensure that resident’s voices and needs are integrated into the City services that are being delivered.
Talk Description: As part of Toronto’s Emergency Management Division, the Community Resiliency and Engagement Unit works to strengthen the City’s ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from major emergencies. We take a community-led, City-supported approach that fosters stronger connections between neighbourhoods, local organizations, and municipal services. Our goal is to advance coordinated and inclusive strategies that reduce the impacts of emergencies, particularly for communities facing disproportionate challenges. As a newer branch of Toronto Emergency Management, we are focused on building localized preparedness strategies at the neighbourhood level and learning directly from communities about what they need to sustain and strengthen ongoing efforts.
Majd al-Shihabi
Bio: Majd al-Shihabi is a PhD candidate in the geography and planning department at the University of Toronto. His research focuses on the role of modelling in the development of municipal climate action policy.
Talk Description: TransformTO’s own reports state that the City’s climate action plan is unlikely to meet its goals of net-zero by 2040. The climate action plan is conceptualized with sustainability as the leading goal of the campaign, guided by other principles such as advancing social equity and improving affordability. In this presentation, I argue that a climate policy that leads with the social needs of city dwellers more likely to meet the sustainability goals of the City.
Haley Anderson Climate Change Project Coordinator, ICLEI Canada
Bio: Haley works with local governments to develop plans, implement climate actions, and engage staff and community members in building climate resilience. She also teaches Design for Sustainability in Sheridan College’s Experiential Design program.
Talk Description: Join Haley Anderson from ICLEI Canada for a short presentation showcasing free tools and opportunities to support climate adaptation in local governments and communities. The session will highlight the upcoming Adaptation Canada 2026 conference, resource guides like the Climate Communications Playbook, and Climate Insight, a national library of resources designed to support turning research and strategies into action. This is a chance to discover practical pathways, inspiration, and calls to action for advancing resilience in your community.
Taneea S Agrawaal
Bio: Taneea is a HCIxClimate Change Researcher and PhD candidate in the Toronto Climate Observatory at the University of Toronto. Her research envisions a human-centered approach to climate data, risk and modeling that expands contemporary climate technologies to be more place-based and environmentally just. She hopes to contribute to this vision by unpacking the complexities of environmental information infrastructures, and shifting attention to the sociotechnical practices that both enact and shape the politics and possibilities of climate action.
Talk Description: This talk outlines an ongoing research project that examines how flood data systems themselves shape disaster outcomes by bridging two frameworks — differential disaster burden and data equity — to understand flood impacts across Southern Ontario. The project investigates how decisions about data collection, access, and representation within flood information systems influence which communities experience greater vulnerability to flooding. By analyzing four dimensions of data equity alongside patterns of differential flood impacts, we explore how they overlap and influence each other. Overall, this talk highlights that equitable flood risk mitigation, planning and adaptation requires paying attention to the data and information systems that make this decision-making possible.
Jasmine Green Supervisor, Sustainable Neighbourhoods Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA)
Bio: Jasmine Green is the Supervisor of Sustainable Neighbourhoods at Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) and has over 15 years of experience in environmental education and community outreach. A certified teacher, she is passionate about engaging people of all ages in climate resilience, environmental stewardship, and building stronger, more sustainable communities.
Talk Description: The presentation will provide an update on the Rexdale Sustainable Neighbourhood Action Program (SNAP) and its work to strengthen climate resilience and emergency preparedness through workshops within local tower communities. The initiative focuses on engaging residents, building community connections, and ensuring people are better equipped to respond to extreme weather and other climate-related challenges. Through collaboration with partners and a community-driven approach, the program is advancing practical solutions that improve safety, well-being, and resilience at both the building and neighbourhood scale.
👥 Facilitators
Darcy Higgins Co-Director, Lift360 Foundation
Bio: Darcy Higgins is a founder of Lift360, Building Roots, and other dynamic community and environmental initiatives in Toronto. He currently works to mentor and train youth and communities on climate initiatives and is promoting climate adaptation through social resilience.
Stephanie Gower Program Manager, Environment Climate and Forestry Division, City of Toronto
Bio: Stephanie Gower is a climate resilience lead in the City of Toronto’s Environment, Climate, and Forestry Division. She brings past experience working in the City’s Public Health and Parks, Forestry and Recreation divisions to her current work, which aims to clarify climate risks and solutions, and support staff across the City to plan and prepare for climate changes now and in the future.
Ana Gonzalez Guerrero Sr. Manager Climate & Cities, Adaptation and Resilience Lead, MaRS Discovery District
Bio: Ana leads the AdapTech program at MaRS Discovery District, focusing on advancing the adaptation and resilience innovation ecosystem across Canada. Prior to that she was leading work on innovative financing for local-level climate solutions.
Hamoda Youssef Director of Client Development, ClimateFirst
Bio: Hamoda is a sustainability advocate with a rich 15 years in climate action. Currently spearheading Client Development at ClimateFirst Building Solutions.
Matthew Riepert Manager in Climate Change and Sustainability Services, EY
Bio: Matt is a Manager in EY’s Climate Change and Sustainability Services practice specializing in climate change mitigation and adaptation services. He brings extensive experience in conducting climate scenario analysis, GHG emissions inventories, decarbonization strategies and target setting, transition planning and roadmapping. He holds a Master’s in Environment and Sustainability from the University of Western Ontario and certificate in Sustainability and Climate Risk from the Global Association of Risk Professionals.
by Climate Resilient Communities (CRC): https://crc.place and EY Ripples Program