The Climate-Ready Infrastructure Service (CRIS) is a federally supported national program that provides no-cost expert advisory support to help small communities integrate climate resilience and low-carbon solutions into housing and infrastructure projects.

Administered by the Canadian Urban Institute and funded by the Government of Canada’s Housing, Infrastructure and Communities department, CRIS connects local governments and Indigenous communities with climate and infrastructure experts who deliver in-kind professional consulting at no charge.

CRIS offers three types of expert support:

• Climate Adaptation: Provides guidance to ensure construction or retrofit projects are resilient to flooding, sea-level rise, or extreme weather (e.g., designing a seawall or trail to withstand future high tides).
• Climate Mitigation: Offers advice to improve energy efficiency, incorporate renewable energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in new facilities.
• Combined Low-Carbon and Resilience: Supports projects that both cut emissions and enhance resilience, such as a low-carbon community facility designed to serve as a “resilience hub” during wildfires, flooding, or extreme heat.

By delivering expert services instead of direct funding, CRIS helps communities future-proof their infrastructure while reducing emissions and building resilience without adding financial burden to local budgets.