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The report argues that climate change poses a significant threat to public health and the delivery of health services in Canada, necessitating a shift toward resilient infrastructure and sustainable practices. It highlights that Canadian hospitals are among the most energy-inefficient in OECD northern climates and face risks from extreme weather, particularly in northern and coastal areas. The document recommends investing in renewable energy, implementing Green Revolving Funds, and conducting climate resiliency assessments. It also suggests leveraging the trusted status of health professionals to drive public behavior change and utilizing institutional lands for ecosystem services to improve public well-being.

The document outlines the regulatory landscape of cosmetic pesticides in Canada, comparing 'white list' and 'black list' approaches and evaluating the effectiveness of mandatory bans over voluntary programs. It identifies key gaps in current legislation, such as exceptions for golf courses and lack of retail enforcement, while providing evidence of reduced pesticide concentrations in Ontario water bodies and decreased resident use in Toronto following the implementation of bans.

The report analyzes the landscape of cosmetic pesticide bans in Canada, evaluating the effectiveness of various provincial and municipal regulatory frameworks. It argues that the most protective laws utilize 'white lists' of approved low-risk pesticides, maintain a broad scope of coverage across all landscaping elements, and combine legal prohibitions with robust public education and enforcement. The document highlights significant gaps in jurisdictions like Alberta and British Columbia, while praising the comprehensive approaches of Ontario and Nova Scotia.

The Health Collaborative, representing 15 health organizations, argues that phasing out coal-fired electricity in Canada by 2025 is essential for mitigating climate change and reducing severe public health risks. The document highlights that while coal provided only 10.6% of Canada's electricity in 2014, it accounted for 72% of the sector's greenhouse gas emissions. It details the health benefits of coal closures, citing Ontario's experience where the phase-out led to significant reductions in sulphur dioxide and fine particulate matter, as well as a 23% decrease in air-pollution-related premature deaths in Toronto between 2000 and 2010. The submission also emphasizes the danger of mercury emissions from coal plants, which are linked to neurodevelopmental impacts in children. The authors recommend a complete phase-out by 2025, the development of renewable energy, and the implementation of energy efficiency programs.

The document examines the systemic nature of neonicotinoids and their toxicity to arthropods and vertebrates, linking them to honeybee colony losses in Canada and biodiversity decline in Europe. It highlights the economic importance of pollinators in Ontario and Quebec and argues that the widespread use of these pesticides often provides negligible agricultural benefits while threatening human nutrition and global food security.

The briefing highlights research indicating that global sea levels could rise by several meters within 50 to 150 years if emissions grow, potentially submerging major global cities and displacing 20% of the world's population. It emphasizes that these impacts could occur even if the 2 degree C target is met. For Canada, the document details 2010 emission sources and advocates for a societal transformation, specifically noting that closing coal-fired power plants in Ontario and Alberta provides a rapid pathway for emission reductions and health benefits.

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) supports the decision to discontinue new conditional registrations for pesticides effective June 1, 2016, but argues that the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) must also end existing conditional registrations by a set date. CAPE highlights that 80 pesticide products currently hold conditional registrations, including neonicotinoids linked to pollinator decline and ecosystem damage. Additionally, the document cites a Federal Commissioner's report identifying PMRA failings in assessing cumulative health effects, re-evaluating pre-1995 pesticides, cancelling high-risk products, and maintaining transparency with the public.

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) supports Ontario's draft Pollinator Health Action Plan, particularly its focus on protecting pollinators from stressors like pesticide exposure and habitat loss. CAPE emphasizes the link between pollinator health and human food security, citing research that a total loss of animal pollinators could increase annual human deaths from nutrition-related diseases by 1.42 million. While welcoming the plan's strategic outcomes, CAPE recommends adding specific targets, budgets, and timelines, creating an independent scientific advisory body, providing farmer incentives for pollinator-friendly practices, and conducting a cumulative assessment of pesticide exposures in Ontario.

The document highlights a global consensus on the threats of climate change and the necessity of a massive energy transformation to limit temperature rises to below 2°C or 1.5°C. It notes that renewables became the second largest electricity source in 2014 and that costs for solar and wind technologies are falling rapidly. The briefing also emphasizes the health and economic benefits of decarbonization, specifically citing the potential for $300 million in annual health benefits from closing coal plants in Alberta and the growth of Canada's clean energy sector. Finally, it details Canada's 2013 emissions of 726 mega-tonnes and its targets to reduce these to 622 MT by 2020 and 524 MT by 2030.

The document outlines the role of human activity in increasing greenhouse gas emissions and global warming, the resulting environmental and health risks, and the emission reduction targets required to limit temperature increases to 1.5 or 2 degrees Celsius by 2050.

The document critiques the PMRA's special review of atrazine, claiming it ignores synergistic effects of pesticide mixtures, fails to assess surface water contamination, and uses less protective drinking water standards than necessary. It cites evidence of atrazine's presence in Canadian groundwater and surface water, as well as its links to endocrine disruption in wildlife and various cancers and developmental issues in humans.

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE), along with Pesticide Free Alberta and Prevent Cancer Now, is requesting that the Federal Minister of Health intervene to stop the use of chlorpyrifos (specifically the products Pyrate and Dursban) for mosquito control in Edmonton. The organizations argue that the chemical is a "powerful developmental neurotoxicant" and that its federal re-evaluation has been "unacceptably prolonged". They suggest Vectobac as a safer bacteria-based alternative already used in cities like Grand Prairie.

A consortium of health groups, including the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, recommends that the Government of Canada phase out all coal-fired power plants within ten years. The letter argues that this action would substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide significant public health benefits, citing Ontario's successful phase-out between 2004 and 2014 as a model. The authors note that while Alberta has a phase-out plan for 2030, provinces such as Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia intend to use coal into the 2040s.

The document outlines the health risks associated with cosmetic pesticides and advocates for the City of Calgary to adopt restrictive policies similar to those in other Canadian jurisdictions. It highlights failures in federal oversight by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) and cites multiple systematic reviews linking pesticides to cancers, neurological deficits, and reproductive issues, particularly in children. CAPE notes that seven provinces and 180 municipalities have already implemented such bans, with evidence from Toronto and Ontario showing significant reductions in pesticide use and water contamination. An Alberta-specific poll indicated that 62% of residents support phasing out all but the safest pesticides for lawns and gardens.

The Quebec Pesticides Strategy 2015-2018 proposes expanding the list of banned pesticides to 60 active ingredients, including neonicotinoids, atrazine, and chlorpyrifos. These substances are linked to bee colony deaths, endocrine disruption, and developmental neurotoxicity. CAPE intends to partner with Équiterre to advocate for these bans to protect public health and the environment.

The 2016 CAPE Scorecard evaluates Canadian provincial bans on cosmetic pesticides, ranking Ontario as the highest providing 'Excellent Protection' with a score of 9. Other provinces such as Nova Scotia and Manitoba are rated as 'Good Protection', while Quebec provides 'Some Protection'. Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland & Labrador are rated as providing 'Little Protection', and Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia are listed as providing 'No Protection'.

The document advocates for the closure of Alberta's coal-fired power plants to meet national climate goals and reduce severe health impacts. It highlights that Alberta is Canada's most carbon-intensive province and that coal plants contribute significantly to air pollutants linked to premature deaths and hospitalizations. Using the Ontario coal phase-out as a successful precedent, the brief argues that similar action in Alberta would lower greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the economic and human cost of air pollution.

The document describes neonicotinoids as systemic insecticides that spread through plant tissues and are linked to large-scale honey bee colony losses. It cites a Worldwide Integrated Assessment finding these pesticides toxic to most insects and capable of impairing bee learning and fertility. In Canada, specifically Ontario, significant winter colony losses were reported in 2013 and 2014, leading to provincial legislation to reduce neonic-treated seed planting by 80% by 2017. The European Union also implemented a two-year ban on agricultural neonic use starting in January 2013.

The submission by the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) and partners details the 'triple threat' posed by Alberta's coal plants: air pollution, mercury contamination, and greenhouse gas emissions. It provides health-cost estimates for Alberta and uses Ontario's coal phase-out as a successful case study for improving public health outcomes. The authors recommend a complete phase-out of coal by 2025, avoiding new natural gas investments, and transitioning to renewable energy and energy efficiency.

The document examines the concept of 'Nature Deficit Disorder' and its correlation with pediatric health issues such as obesity and ADHD, concluding that increased exposure to natural environments promotes healthier childhoods and adult outcomes.