Maintaining HalifACT Funding: A Public Health Imperative for the 2026/27 Budget

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment – Nova Scotia (CAPE NS) urges the Halifax Regional Council to maintain full funding for HalifACT, asserting that cutting the estimated $6 million Climate Action Tax will shift financial burdens to the healthcare system. The letter highlights that climate change in Nova Scotia is driving increases in extreme heat mortality, respiratory issues from wildfire smoke, and the spread of Lyme disease. It argues that proactive investment in climate resilience is fiscally responsible, noting that every $1 spent today avoids $13 to $15 in future costs. Furthermore, the authors state that funding cuts disproportionately harm vulnerable populations, such as seniors and low-income residents in urban heat islands, who rely on programs like the Solar City initiative and home retrofits.

• Climate change in Nova Scotia is causing preventable health issues, including a 2% to 13% increase in mortality rates in Canadian cities due to extreme heat and approximately 15,300 annual premature deaths in Canada linked to air pollution from fossil fuels and wildfire smoke.
• Warming temperatures have led to the northward expansion of ticks, establishing Lyme disease as a permanent health threat in the region, while extreme weather events like floods and wildfires have caused spikes in anxiety, depression, and PTSD.
• Extreme weather events disrupt healthcare delivery by compromising air quality in medical facilities via smoke infiltration, forcing clinic closures through evacuation orders, and blocking transit routes for staff and emergency responders.
• Reducing the estimated $6 million Climate Action Tax is viewed as a 'transfer of risk' that increases long-term costs; the document states that $1 invested in climate resilience avoids roughly $13 to $15 in future expenses.
• Climate funding cuts disproportionately impact vulnerable groups, including children, seniors, and low-income residents in substandard housing or urban heat islands, who benefit from HalifACT's Solar City program and home retrofits.

APA

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (2026). Maintaining HalifACT Funding: A Public Health Imperative for the 2026/27 Budget. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/CAPE-NS-letter-to-HRM-Council-re-HalifACT-funding.pdf#new_tab

Chicago

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. Maintaining HalifACT Funding: A Public Health Imperative for the 2026/27 Budget. 2026. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/CAPE-NS-letter-to-HRM-Council-re-HalifACT-funding.pdf#new_tab.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |title=Maintaining HalifACT Funding: A Public Health Imperative for the 2026/27 Budget |date=23 January 2026 |url=https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/CAPE-NS-letter-to-HRM-Council-re-HalifACT-funding.pdf#new_tab |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{canadianassociationofphysiciansfortheenvironment2026maintaining, author = {{Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}}, title = {{Maintaining HalifACT Funding: A Public Health Imperative for the 2026/27 Budget}}, publisher = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, year = {2026}, month = jan, url = {https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/CAPE-NS-letter-to-HRM-Council-re-HalifACT-funding.pdf#new_tab}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }