Your Health and a Changing Climate: Newsletter - Volume 1

Policy Initiatives

Senate Committee Supports Increasing Funding to C-CIARN

The Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture and Forestry has released its final report entitled Climate Change: We are at risk. C-CIARN Forestry and Agriculture sectors made a presentation to the Senate Committee and C-CIARN has been singled out in this report.

Recommendation 4: states that the role and resources available to Canadian Climate Impacts and Adaptation Research Network (C-CIARN) be expanded and increased, such that the organization provides a more visible face both to the Canadian public, particularly the young people, and to all facets of Canadian society, and to facilitate: the development of cooperative climate change impacts and adaptation research projects; on the ground operational trials and; the communication of research results through workshop, seminars, discussion fora, newsletters, websites, and other education and awareness programs.

>>> For more information, visit: www.c-ciarn.ca

Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology released its Report Entitled Reforming Health Protection and Promotion in Canada: Time to Act.

On September, 17, 2003, the Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology heard presentations from Health Canada which stated that disease outbreaks could be worse in the future due to climate change which is expected to alter the range of disease-carrying organisms and result in increases in the emergence and persistence of infectious diseases. Report recommendations included establishment of a new agency by March 31, 2004, the Health Protection and Promotion Agency, with a mandate to enhance disease surveillance and control in Canada and to direct federal efforts to be prepared for any health emergency and work closely with the provincial and territorial authorities to ensure that there is adequate capacity in all regions of the country.

C-CIARN Health prepared a paper outlining the impacts of climate change on infectious diseases, health protection, and promotion in Canada.

>>> For more information, contact: marcia_armstrong@hc-sc.gc.ca

>>> For a copy of the report, visit: www.parl.gc.ca

Adaptation Strategies to Reduce Health Risks from Summer Heat in Toronto

In June 2001, public health adaptation measures were implemented in Metropolitan Toronto to help protect residents from extreme heat and cold events. Extensive collaborations between many different governmental (e.g., emergency services, housing services, libraries) and non-governmental organizations (e.g., pharmacy chains, seniors´ networks) were established to help protect more vulnerable population groups, such as seniors and homeless people from thermal extremes. Some examples of the adaptation strategies implemented include: extreme cold weather and extreme heat announcements via news media; active intervention by public health and volunteer agencies (e.g., street patrols to locate and care for homeless people); increased availability and accessibility of heated and air conditioned public buildings, drop-in centres and shelters and; new guidelines for managing long-term care facilities.

>>> For more information, contact: eligeti@tafund.org

Adapting Health Infrastructure in the Toronto-Niagara Region

To overcome barriers to effective adaptation, researchers recommend the following: integrate efforts to develop coordinated responses to climate change and health; expand existing monitoring, reporting and surveillance networks to include climate-related health impacts; increase and improve professional and public education of adaptive actions; involve organizations, such as the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment in education campaigns; learn and build from past experiences to develop organizational structure for proceeding with an adaptation action plan.

>>> For more information, contact: qchiotti@pollutionprobe.org