Search Climate Insights Directory

The author warns that Canadian investors and infrastructure owners are operating in a world that no longer exists, as the financial risks of a warming climate remain underpriced. Citing a Canadian Climate Institute report, the text highlights that annual flood damage to homes and buildings could reach $4.5 billion to $5.5 billion within 30 years. The document contends that a lack of open-access climate risk data leads to flawed financial analysis and calls for regulators to mandate the disclosure of climate risks to prevent a systemic financial shock.

The paper examines Canada's pandemic response, highlighting how a strategy of virus mitigation over suppression, combined with the privatization of long-term care and a lack of workplace protections, disproportionately harmed racialized people, women, and Indigenous communities. It further critiques Canada's international conduct, specifically its hoarding of vaccine doses and opposition to waiving intellectual property rights for vaccines in the Global South.

The report identifies a resilient and multifaceted online ecosystem for Canadian right-wing extremists (RWEs), noting that while mainstream platform enforcement (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube) removes some content, new channels quickly emerge. The COVID-19 pandemic acted as a significant driver of activity, with 38.8% of coded messages relating to the pandemic, often focusing on conspiracy theories and anti-government sentiment. Canadian RWEs exhibit a strong internationalist outlook, mentioning the US more than Canada. While overt hate speech is a small proportion of total activity on mainstream sites, fringe platforms like 4chan and Telegram host more explicit racism, neo-Nazi imagery, and accelerationist content, including instructional material for violence. The report recommends government regulation of platforms, algorithmic auditing, and international coordination on RWE designations.

The report finds that inland flooding represents the highest annual cost of climate change for Canadian infrastructure, with mid-range estimates between $5 billion and $8 billion per year. Proactive adaptation can significantly reduce costs for roads, rail, and the electrical grid, though it is less effective for permafrost thaw and inland flooding. The analysis highlights that while total costs are often concentrated in high-population areas like Ontario, specific geographic risks such as permafrost thaw disproportionately affect the three territories.

The document argues that large-scale investment in natural infrastructure lags because research often focuses on broad valuations rather than specific business cases. It proposes a five-step approach for project champions—starting with a driver, identifying a lead beneficiary, developing a pitch, establishing partnerships, and securing catalyst funding—to bridge the gap between feasibility and finance. For funders, it recommends supporting targeted research, convening beneficiaries, helping projects achieve scale, and providing dedicated predevelopment support.

Nova Scotia has achieved significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions between 2005 and 2018 while maintaining economic growth, driven by fuel switching in electricity, energy efficiency, and a growing clean tech sector. However, the province faces structural unemployment in rural and Indigenous communities, high energy costs for households, and difficulties in decarbonizing the transportation sector to meet its target of net-zero emissions by 2050.

The Canadian Climate Institute introduces a framework of 11 indicators to track 'clean growth' in Canada, balancing economic prosperity with climate action. The report identifies that while most provinces have decoupled GDP growth from GHG emissions since 2005, significant gaps remain in technology adoption, data collection for climate costs, and the protection of vulnerable populations and ecosystems. It argues for a 'skeptical optimism' approach, where governments actively resolve barriers to transition rather than assuming growth will naturally follow emission declines.

The report identifies a significant online presence of right-wing extremism in Canada, involving 6,660 accounts and channels across seven platforms with a collective reach of over 11 million users. While ethnonationalists are the most prevalent group on mainstream platforms like Facebook and Twitter, explicit white supremacist activity is concentrated on fringe sites such as Iron March and Fascist Forge. The study finds that RWE activity spikes around key events, specifically the Christchurch attack and the 2019 Canadian federal election, with anti-Muslim and anti-Trudeau rhetoric serving as primary drivers of conversation. Offline findings indicate a growth in RWE activity in the Maritime provinces and an increasing fascination with paramilitary training and weaponry among groups like the Three Percenters.

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment calls for urgent federal action to treat climate change as a public health emergency, advocating for a target-based plan to limit warming to 1.5°C to protect Canadian health and reduce healthcare costs.

The report argues that transitioning away from fossil fuels through carbon pricing, energy efficiency, active transportation, and plant-based diets can simultaneously reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve public health outcomes. It highlights that in Canada, air pollution from fossil fuels causes 14,400 premature deaths annually, and that shifting to low-carbon energy and urban design can significantly reduce chronic diseases and healthcare costs.

The document outlines adaptation strategies for various climate-related health risks in Canada, including extreme temperature events, flooding, wildfires, food insecurity, vector-borne diseases, and water quality issues. It provides specific examples of municipal actions—such as Toronto's green roof bylaws and Vancouver's warming centres—and offers actionable tips for health professionals to support vulnerable patients and advocate for resilient community policies.

The document argues that climate change is the greatest health threat of the 21st century, citing specific impacts on Canadians such as respiratory issues from wildfires, heat-related deaths in Quebec, and food insecurity in the Canadian Arctic. It calls for federal action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, phase out coal and fossil fuel subsidies, and invest in public health resilience and a just transition for workers.

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment and other health professionals argue that climate change is the greatest health threat of the 21st century, citing immediate impacts in Canada such as wildfires, heat-related deaths, and food insecurity in the Arctic. They urge federal parties to adopt targets to keep warming below 1.5°C, phase out coal by 2030, and reduce emissions from the oil, gas, and transport sectors, noting that such policies would yield significant health co-benefits and reduce healthcare costs.

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) calls on the Ontario government to implement a comprehensive climate plan to address increasing health risks from extreme weather. The organization identifies transportation (33%), buildings (22%), and industry (18%) as the primary sources of emissions in Ontario and proposes specific interventions for each sector, including transit electrification, building code updates, and clean energy grants. CAPE advocates for a long-term hard emission target aligned with the 1.5°C global warming limit, benchmark targets, annual progress reports, and five-year plan reviews.

The report finds that Canadian municipalities can maintain acceptable weed control without toxic pesticides by shifting to cultural practices and mechanical methods, with stable budgets and supportive public attitudes.

The document evaluates the performance of Canadian cities against SDG 8, focusing on GDP per capita, labour productivity, median income, unemployment, and youth unemployment. While GDP and median incomes have generally risen, the report highlights persistent gender pay gaps and regional disparities in unemployment, particularly in Prairie cities.

The authors advocate for a federal champion for active transportation in Canada, citing significant health benefits, such as reducing chronic disease and premature deaths, and environmental benefits, including the reduction of air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. They propose several federal actions, including creating a dedicated infrastructure fund and establishing a modal share goal.

The document tracks health and well-being indicators for Canadian cities against UN SDG 3 targets. It finds significant progress in neonatal mortality, chronic disease mortality, smoking rates, and health worker density. However, it notes rising trends in heavy drinking and HIV mortality in specific cities like Regina and Saskatoon, and an overall national increase in suicide and self-inflicted injury mortality, despite declines in several major cities.

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment advocates for a National Active Transportation Strategy to reduce healthcare costs and climate impacts, citing a Toronto pilot project where a bike lane increased cycling by 49% and reduced vehicle/cyclist conflicts by 61%.

The document tracks SDG 1 progress in Canadian cities, finding that while child poverty is declining and social assistance coverage is increasing, overall poverty rates have risen in most cities, deviating from 2030 targets. It highlights significant regional disparities in poverty rates and municipal budget allocations for social services.