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National Observer
18-07-2025
- Health
- National Observer
Canada beyond Trump: Climate rages on as our greatest challenge
Long after the current US government has gone, the climate crisis will remain the greatest existential threat of our time. While it's no surprise the recent Canadian federal election was dominated by the immediacy of unprecedented US threats against us, the environment is critically intertwined with every major issue, ranging from Canadian sovereignty to the economy, jobs, housing and health. Whether we're talking about it or not, the climate crisis continues to escalate, affecting nearly every facet of our lives. Canadians and our new federal government must recognize that strong climate policies now will ultimately make or break our future, and that of our children. The climate crisis shortens lifespans, costing both lives and dollars. Health experts worldwide, ranging from the World Health Organization to the Canadian Public Health Association, recognize climate change as the greatest health challenge of the 21st century. Burning fossil fuels, including the potent so-called 'natural' gas, generates both carbon pollution that causes climate change and toxic air pollution associated with widespread human health harms. Air pollution is linked to roughly one in seven premature deaths in Canada, while burning fossil fuels is linked to one in five deaths worldwide. Climate change contributes to health harms through extreme weather and heat, food insecurity, proliferating infectious diseases and more. Both climate change and air pollution are associated with severe mental health harms, including depression and suicide, especially impacting our youth. Environmental impacts increase the burden of diseases requiring care, while also damaging our health care systems at massive financial cost. Together, these risks are making our health system entirely unsustainable. Climate change is already slowing Canada's economy, with costs in 2025 estimated at $25 billion. This cuts Canada's gross domestic product (GDP) growth in half, hurting every household in the country. As far back as 2016, the economic cost of premature deaths associated with air pollution across Canada was estimated at $114 billion annually. Over the next few decades, climate change is expected to trigger up to an additional $100 billion per year or more in health-related costs alone due to the impacts of heat, ground-level ozone, infectious diseases and more. Policies that get us off fossil fuels and fight climate change would effectively lower those costs, reduce illness and relieve pressure on the already overstretched Canadian health system, while keeping pace with global decarbonization trends. We would all benefit. Slashing billions from government services to fund massive military spending, while building pipelines and attempting to keep a fossil-fuel-based economy on life support, are not the way forward. They are simply archaic. Every dollar invested in climate action pays back approximately two dollars in health care savings alone — a doubled return on investment that more than pays for itself. Pollution pricing is one of the most effective — and yet least expensive — tools to slash both air pollution and carbon pollution that threaten our livable future. In the lead up to the federal election, we lost consumer-facing pollution pricing, which ranked as the fourth-most effective emissions-reduction policy in Canada. However, the still-standing industrial pollution pricing is Canada's single most important policy to drive down emissions by making the largest industrial polluters pay. The federal government must respect its election promise to protect industrial pollution pricing. We can't afford to drop the most powerful tool we have to protect our future. A strong Canadian climate policy will save lives and improve health, while keeping the cost of our healthcare system sustainable to help stabilize our economy. A current nationwide campaign calling for federal climate action and protection of industrial pollution pricing has already been endorsed by over 85 organizations and counting, including both the Canadian Medical Association and the Canadian Public Health Association. Recent polling shows 73 per cent of Canadians agree that walking away from pollution pricing betrays our kids and the majority are open to voting for a party defending pollution pricing. This mirrors results of a global study of 130,000 people, revealing 89 per cent want increased political action on climate worldwide. Climate change must be treated like the public health emergency that it is. We must hold the federal government accountable to lead Canada at this pivotal moment with sustainable, forward-thinking policies incorporating urgent climate action. Slashing polluting emissions will yield massive health and economic co-benefits, while keeping us competitive on the global stage. We are the final generation with the opportunity to choose a liveable future for ourselves and for our children. Dr. Mili Roy is a practicing physician and surgeon in the Greater Toronto area. She serves as Ontario Regional co-Chair of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE).
CBC
27-06-2025
- Health
- CBC
Experts point to B.C., Ontario for why Nova Scotia should not expand alcohol access
Nova Scotia is being urged to scrap any thoughts of expanding alcohol sales by a group of experts based in Ontario. The letter — signed by eight people from organizations such as the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research and Canadian Alcohol Policy Evaluation Project — has been sent to Premier Tim Houston and members of the legislature. It warns that more access to alcohol could have damaging impacts. It cited examples from B.C. and Ontario, where retail access has increased. "We need to get that message to the province before they make the same mistakes as Ontario and British Columbia have made," said Ian Culbert, the executive director of the Canadian Public Health Association, who is a signatory. The letter, signed by public health and policy experts, said research in both provinces shows when it is easier to buy booze, the health risks go up as well. It said that after Ontario expanded retail access to alcohol in 2015, alcohol-related emergency department visits rose in two years by more than 24,000. In B.C., a 20 per cent increase in alcohol retail outlets was linked to a 3.25 per cent increase in alcohol-related deaths. The letter points to alcohol-related harms, including avoidable hospitalizations, preventable deaths and heightened risk of chronic diseases such as cancer. "Alcohol is one of the leading causes of cancer after tobacco. In fact, it can lead to the development of nine different types of cancers," said Brandon Purcell, who also signed the letter and is with the Canadian Cancer Society. "Only about 50 per cent of folks in Atlantic Canada are aware of the link between alcohol and cancer." The Nova Scotia Alcohol Policy Coalition already issued its own warning to the province in a letter it sent to MLAs last month. It said that in 2022, alcohol was responsible for 571 deaths and almost 44,200 emergency department and hospital visits across the province. Survey underway in Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is conducting a public opinion survey to see what people think about expanding retail access to alcohol. The survey, which closes Monday, includes questions on health and safety considerations for any potential changes, the types of stores where alcohol can be sold and locations where people are allowed to consume it. A news release issued last month said it is a good time to examine how alcohol is sold and consumed, in part because the province is taking steps to eliminate interprovincial trade barriers. The release said about 1,500 Nova Scotians would be surveyed.
Ottawa Citizen
07-05-2025
- Health
- Ottawa Citizen
Higher measles risk heightens anxiety for immunocompromised individuals
Mike Bialek doesn't have many options when it comes to protecting himself from measles. Article content 'I don't even know what I could do, if anything, at this point,' said Bialek, an Ottawa resident who is immunocompromised. 'There's a lot of anxiety induced.' Article content As measles re-emerges in Ottawa for the first time since 2019, immunocompromised people, who can include those undergoing cancer treatments, living with autoimmune diseases or taking immunosuppressive medications, face much higher risks of severe illness from the virus. Article content Article content Once the recent news about measles broke, Ottawans, particularly those who are immunocompromised, took to social media to express their concerns about its reemergence. Article content Article content 'It's a big concern because I have to rely on herd immunity at this point,' Bialek said. Article content According to the Mayo Clinic, herd immunity refers to the point at which a disease struggles to spread because enough people are protected against it. That is achieved when 95 per cent of the community is immunized, according to Ian Culbert, executive director of the Canadian Public Health Association. 'When you have groups of people who are together, let's say at a specific school or a specific church or community centre where people are gathering and a lot of them are not vaccinated against measles, it only takes one case of measles introduced into that area to spread it to almost everyone who's unvaccinated,' he said. Article content Article content Bialek is unsure what further steps he can take beyond wearing a mask, and he wants clearer messaging from local and provincial authorities. Article content 'It would be nice to see a little bit more guidance in terms of what individuals can do, should they choose to take some initiative on themselves to try to protect themselves,' he said. Article content 'There was plenty of messaging like that with COVID … We're definitely not in COVID numbers yet with measles — God forbid if we ever get there — but it would be nice to see some kind of information like that from the city.' Article content Arnason says the risk to the public is currently 'very low,' but he acknowledges that those who are immunocompromised remain vulnerable because there is not much an individual can do to prevent contracting measles once exposed to it. Article content 'Individual level behaviors are challenging, you know, for the individual who's immunocompromised or parents of immunocompromised children,' he said. 'So, really, what it's about is about the people around them getting vaccinated. That's the most important thing.'
