A youth-led climate action program is returning to Courtenay for a second season.

Youth Climate Corps BC, working in partnership with the City of Courtenay, has launched the 2026 local Youth Climate Corps program as part of a growing province-wide initiative aimed at supporting climate action projects and building community resilience.

This season, local young adults will work with city staff and community organizations on projects focused on ecological restoration, environmental monitoring, food security, sustainable agriculture, emergency preparedness, and public education.

The program provides living-wage employment for youth while giving them hands-on experience working on climate-related initiatives in their own communities.

Last year, the Courtenay team partnered with groups including LUSH Valley Food Action Society, Project Watershed, the BC Parks Foundation, and Millard-Piercy Watershed Stewards.

Their work included ecosystem restoration, sustainable agriculture projects, and efforts to strengthen local food systems.

Participants also worked with the Lake Trail Community Education Society on the Commons Corner development project, learning about permaculture and sustainable land stewardship.

The team organized outdoor programming for local children and completed a total of 384 Climate Action Days during the 2025 season.

This year, the program will continue many of those efforts while expanding into emergency preparedness initiatives, including FireSmart projects designed to help communities reduce wildfire risk.

Courtenay Mayor Bob Wells says the program gives young people an opportunity to build valuable skills while helping make the community more resilient and sustainable.

Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns says young people are stepping up to lead climate solutions in their communities, and programs like Youth

Climate Corps provide the training and opportunities needed to support that work.