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302 documents from Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment
Submission to the CleanBC Independent Review Panel
The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) argues that British Columbia's current climate strategy is insufficient to meet its 2025 and 2030 targets, primarily due to continued support for fracked gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) expansion. CAPE highlights significant health risks associated with fracking, including respiratory disease and cancer, noting a critical loss of physicians in northeastern B.C. The submission calls for a moratorium on new fracking and LNG development, a ban on gas connections in new buildings by 2025, and increased investment in active transportation and public transit to address the province's largest emissions source. CAPE also emphasizes the need for equitable electrification and a just transition for fossil fuel workers.
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Document type: Statement
Safe Uranium Mining?
The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) opposes uranium mining in Nova Scotia, citing risks of radon gas release, groundwater contamination, and the creation of long-term radioactive waste. The document disputes industry claims that mining is necessary for medical isotopes or climate goals, arguing that Nova Scotia's high population density and precipitation make it unsuitable for mining compared to Saskatchewan.
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Document type: Briefing
The Health Risks of Uranium Exploration and Mining in Nova Scotia
The document outlines the severe health risks associated with uranium exploration and mining, emphasizing that uranium is both chemically toxic and radioactive. It highlights the dangers of radon gas, which causes over 100 deaths annually in Nova Scotia and is the primary cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. The text details a wide range of adverse health effects, including kidney failure, DNA damage, and various cancers, noting that women and children are disproportionately susceptible to radiation. It further warns of environmental contamination affecting water, wildlife, and Indigenous communities, specifically mentioning the 'caribou connection' where radionuclides concentrate in lichens. The document concludes that the long-term health and environmental costs of mining, including the need for perpetual monitoring of tailings, would likely outweigh any economic benefits.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Bill C-5 jeopardizes the health of children and other at-risk populations, now and into the future
The Canadian Partnership for Children’s Health and Environment (CPCHE) expresses deep concern that Bill C-5, the Act to Enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Building Canada Act, would remove critical safeguards for public health and the environment. The organization specifically warns that designating conventional energy production as “projects of national interest” could allow fossil fuel projects to proceed without adequate health and environmental assessments, contradicting Canada's climate objectives and the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. CPCHE further argues that the bill lacks requirements for public consultation and does not ensure the free, prior and informed consent of Indigenous Peoples. The letter urges the Canadian government to prioritize science-based decision-making and intergenerational equity over the expedited approval of projects that increase climate pollution.
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Document type: Statement
The many human health risks of uranium exposure, exploration, and mining
CAPE Nova Scotia argues that uranium exploration and mining pose severe health risks, including kidney failure and cancer, and warns that Nova Scotia's high population density and precipitation make it unsuitable for such activities compared to Saskatchewan.
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Document type: Statement
Proposed PFAS Listing Order (Canada Gazette, Pt. 1, Vol. 159, No. 10, March 8, 2025)
A joint statement from five Canadian environmental and health organizations—including Ecojustice and the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment—urging the Canadian government to expedite the listing and regulation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The organizations argue that current regulatory criteria underestimate PFAS bioaccumulation and call for the inclusion of fluoropolymers, as well as an accelerated timeline for phasing out PFAS in firefighting foams and consumer products.
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Document type: Statement
Protecting our health from toxics: 3 questions that need answers before election day
The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, via the Coalition for Action on Toxics, identifies three priority areas for federal political action: reinforcing the Zero Plastic Waste agenda to end plastic pollution by 2040, expediting the phase-out of PFAS (forever chemicals), and providing long-term funding for the Chemicals Management Plan. The document argues that toxic exposures are a public health and environmental justice issue, noting that 88% of Canadians support increased federal regulatory action under CEPA. It highlights that Indigenous, racialized, disabled, and poor communities, as well as women and gender-diverse people, are disproportionately impacted by these pollutants.
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Document type: Statement
What a moment to be returning to our work at CAPE
Anjali Helferty, Deputy Executive Director of CAPE, discusses her return to the organization and emphasizes the continued need for physician-led advocacy against pipelines and in favor of federal climate legislation and environmental justice in Canada.
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Document type: Statement
Health, Environment and Equity: Essential Priorities for All Federal Candidates
The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) argues that the 'triple planetary crises of pollution, biodiversity loss and climate change' are causing measurable harm to human health in Canada, particularly among vulnerable populations. The organization calls on federal candidates to preserve environmental regulations like the Clean Electricity Regulations and the Oil and Gas Emissions Cap, strengthen the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), establish an Office of Environmental Justice, ban fossil fuel advertising, and enforce 'polluter pays' legislation. CAPE highlights that air pollution from fossil fuels is linked to 34,000 premature deaths in Canada annually and costs the economy $120 billion per year.
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Document type: Statement
British Columbians are dying from fossil fuel pollution: Will BC’s Attorney General take on Big Oil?
The document argues that the British Columbia government should apply its strategy of recovering healthcare costs from harmful product manufacturers—such as those in the tobacco and opioid industries—to the fossil fuel sector. It highlights significant health and financial burdens on BC's healthcare system, including costs from the 2021 heat dome, wildfire smoke, and the spread of infectious diseases due to warming temperatures. The authors contend that fossil fuel companies have profited while engaging in misinformation, and they call for a ban on fossil fuel advertising and the recovery of expenses from the oil and gas industry.
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Document type: Statement
Survey Results!
This fact sheet presents the results of a candidate survey conducted by the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE BC) for the Vancouver by-election on April 5, 2025. The survey evaluates candidates' positions on health and climate policy, including green space, active transportation, building emissions, and regional air quality.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Please ensure public participation and transparency in the context of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) on Plastic Pollution
A coalition of Canadian environmental organizations is calling on Minister Terry Duguid to ensure public participation and transparency within the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) on Plastic Pollution. The authors argue that the exclusion of civil society, Indigenous Peoples, and independent scientists violates international and domestic obligations, specifically citing the Aarhus Convention and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). They highlight three specific instances of opacity: the restriction of intersessional expert groups to Member States and a small number of non-transparently appointed experts, the use of closed-door Heads of Delegation meetings to influence the draft treaty text, and the exclusion of observers from substantive discussions during INC-5. The organizations request that Canada advocate for meaningful participation, work with the INC Secretariat and Bureau to ensure inclusion of affected constituencies, and provide funding for Indigenous Peoples' participation.
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Document type: Statement
Regulations Amending the Pest Control Products Fees and Charges Regulations (Annual Charge)
CAPE supports the PMRA's effort to update fees but argues the proposed increases are inadequate for full cost recovery. The organization advocates for a fee structure based on the polluter-pays principle that incorporates health, environmental, and social costs, while opposing 'niche' product exemptions and discounts for high-volume registrants.
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Document type: Statement
Repealing the Uranium Exploration and Mining Prohibition Act and amendments to permit hydraulic fracturing of natural gas in Nova Scotia
A letter from CAPE Nova Scotia physicians warning the provincial government that repealing bans on fracking and uranium mining would cause severe health harms, including increased cancer and birth defect rates, and contradict the province's climate goals.
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Document type: Statement
Protecting Metro Vancouver's Climate Leadership: A Letter Calling for Continued Climate Funding
CAPE argues that cutting climate programs, which represent only 1% of Metro Vancouver's budget, would undermine the Climate 2050 strategy and increase long-term costs related to healthcare and disaster response.
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Document type: Statement
RE: February 21, 2025 Budget Workshop
The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) argues that cutting Metro Vancouver's climate programs would jeopardize public health and undermine the Climate 2050 strategy. The organization highlights that the 2025 air quality and climate action services budget represents only 1% of the total financial plan, while the costs of climate inaction—such as the 600 lives lost during the 2021 heat dome and 1,900 annual premature deaths from air pollution in BC—are far higher. CAPE requests that the Board delay any funding cuts until comprehensive public consultations and economic impact assessments are completed.
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Document type: Statement
POLLUTING EDUCATION The Influence of Fossil Fuels on Childrens Education in Canada
The report argues that the fossil fuel industry has an inherent conflict of interest in educating children about climate change and proposes a comprehensive framework to decouple public education from industry influence. It recommends that federal, provincial, and local authorities establish climate education as a public good, prohibit industry advertising and sponsorship in schools, and implement strict transparency and vetting requirements for third-party education providers. Key proposals include the creation of a federally funded climate change education program under the Department of Environment and Climate Change Canada, the integration of climate justice across all grade levels, and the adoption of school board climate action plans that include transitioning to electric buses and plant-based diets.
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Document type: Executive summary
POLLUTING EDUCATION The Influence of Fossil Fuels on Children’s Education in Canada Report Summary
The report documents how at least 39 oil and gas companies and 12 industry-tied organizations influence Canadian K–12 education through branded materials, government partnerships, and funding of third-party nonprofits. It argues that this 'petro-pedagogy' obscures the industry's role in climate change, promotes individual action over systemic change, and creates a conflict of interest in classrooms. The authors call for immediate policy action at federal, provincial, and local levels to implement comprehensive, science-based climate education free from corporate interference.
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Document type: Executive summary
POLLUTING EDUCATION
The report documents how at least 39 oil and gas companies and 12 industry-tied organizations influence Canadian school curricula through direct sponsorship, government partnerships, and funding of third-party nonprofits. It identifies 'petro-pedagogy' strategies—such as 'bias-balancing,' greenwashing, and a focus on individual rather than systemic action—designed to obscure the industry's role in driving climate change and delay the energy transition. The authors recommend that federal and provincial governments prohibit fossil fuel sponsorship in schools, mandate comprehensive climate justice education, and provide public funding for teacher training and resources to ensure education is free from corporate conflicts of interest.
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Document type: Report
Consultation on CEPA Right to a Healthy Environment Draft Implementation Framework
A joint statement by five environmental and health organizations providing recommendations to the Government of Canada to strengthen the draft Implementation Framework for the Right to a Healthy Environment under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA).
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Document type: Statement