Latest news with #JerryDeMarco
CTV News
4 hours ago
- Health
- CTV News
Ottawa's plan for climate change adaptation is falling short, report says
Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development Jerry V. DeMarco holds a news conference at the National Press Theatre on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick OTTAWA — Ottawa's efforts to prepare the country for the impacts of climate change have stumbled out of the gate, Canada's environment commissioner said Tuesday. In a new report, Jerry DeMarco concluded the National Adaptation Strategy was not effectively designed, did not prioritize Canada's climate change risks and only established one of three components since its release in 2023. Canada has committed $1.6 billion so far to implement the strategy, which is meant as a road map for adaptation measures for climate impacts. Environment and Climate Change Canada has estimated that every dollar spent on proactive adaptation measures can save taxpayers between $13 and $15 in the long term. Canada was relatively late to the game when it released its strategy in 2023. Japan, France and the United Kingdom were already on the third updates of their plans at that point; Germany had updated its plan four times. 'We first recommended the development of a strategy to adapt to Canada's changing climate nearly 20 years ago,' DeMarco said in a news release. 'Although the release of the National Adaptation Strategy in 2023 was an important first step, urgent attention is still needed to achieve impactful action. The sooner that Canada acts, the more sustainable the outcomes for people's health, safety and livelihoods.' DeMarco said the strategy failed to prioritize Canada's climate change risks when establishing objectives and targets. He said government departments relied instead on existing priorities and consultations. 'We also found that although some climate change risks were identified during the consultation process for the strategy, they were not addressed in the final targets,' the report said. DeMarco cited the short-term health impacts of wildfire smoke, estimated to cost between $410 million and $1.8 billion annually between 2013 and 2018. He also remarked on the prevalence of Lyme disease cases, rising from 144 in 2009 to 2,525 in 2022 -- an increase of more than 1,500 per cent. 'Environment and Climate Change Canada told us that it will not add any new targets until 2030. Without any dedicated targets to address these risks within the National Adaptation Strategy, the federal government had failed to highlight the need for immediate wholeΓÇæofΓÇæsociety action to address them,' the report said. Environment and Climate Change Canada also didn't develop 'a process to keep climate change risks up to date and integrate them into future updates of the strategy,' the report said. DeMarco said federal programs meant to advance implementation of the National Adaptation Strategy contributed little. Ottawa must report annually on 17 programs that are key to advancing the strategy's implementation. DeMarco examined seven of them that account for $1.1 billion of the money earmarked for the strategy. But while some of the programs had goals and targets, there was no way to know whether they were actually helping to implement the National Adaptation Strategy, DeMarco said. DeMarco also found the government has not yet finalized two of the three key pillars in the strategy. He pointed out that an Indigenous climate leadership agenda still hasn't been established -- it was supposed to be done by the end of 2024 -- and the completion of federal, provincial and territorial bilateral action plans has been pushed to 2026. Only the federal government's adaptation action plan has been finalized. 'Additionally, although First Nations, Inuit, and Metis organizations had each released national climate strategies, we found that Environment and Climate Change Canada had not formally assessed the coherence between federal programming and Indigenous-led strategies,' the report said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2025. Nick Murray, The Canadian Press
Toronto Sun
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Toronto Sun
Ottawa's plan for climate change adaptation is falling short, report says
Published Jun 10, 2025 • 1 minute read Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development Jerry DeMarco is seen during a news conference, Thursday, November 25, 2021 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld OTTAWA — The federal government's program for preparing Canada for the effects of climate change has stumbled since its launch in 2023, says a new report from environment commissioner Jerry DeMarco. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The report says the National Adaptation Strategy has faced significant challenges in its design and implementation. The report says the strategy was not effectively designed, did not prioritize Canada's climate change risks and only established one of three components since its release in 2023. Canada has committed $1.6 billion toward implementing the strategy, which is meant to serve as a roadmap for implementing adaptation measures to prepare for climate impacts. Environment and Climate Change Canada has estimated that every dollar spent on proactive adaptation measures saves taxpayers between $13 and $15 in the long term. The health impacts of short-term exposure to wildfire smoke alone was estimated to cost up to $1.8 billion a year between 2013 and 2018. Toronto Blue Jays World Relationships Editorial Cartoons Olympics
CBC
6 hours ago
- Politics
- CBC
Auditor general holds news conference
Auditor General Karen Hogan and Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainability Jerry DeMarco take questions after tabling reports in the House of Commons.
Winnipeg Free Press
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Ottawa's plan for climate change adaptation is falling short, report says
OTTAWA – The federal government's program for preparing Canada for the effects of climate change has stumbled since its launch in 2023, says a new report from environment commissioner Jerry DeMarco. The report says the National Adaptation Strategy has faced significant challenges in its design and implementation. The report says the strategy was not effectively designed, did not prioritize Canada's climate change risks and only established one of three components since its release in 2023. Canada has committed $1.6 billion toward implementing the strategy, which is meant to serve as a roadmap for implementing adaptation measures to prepare for climate impacts. Environment and Climate Change Canada has estimated that every dollar spent on proactive adaptation measures saves taxpayers between $13 and $15 in the long term. The health impacts of short-term exposure to wildfire smoke alone was estimated to cost up to $1.8 billion a year between 2013 and 2018. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2025.
CBC
24-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
N.W.T. making good progress on conservation goals, auditor general finds
Canada's auditor general says the Northwest Territories government is "on track" to meet its conservation goals. The Office of the Auditor General of Canada presented its report on conservation areas in the Northwest Territories to MLAs and the public on Friday. It covers the territory's work on this issue from 2016 to 2024. The report looked at the government's progress in addressing three of the territory's conservation priorities: ensuring long-term funding for conservation areas, strengthening management of protected areas, and establishing new protected and conservation areas. The auditor general found the territory had made "timely progress" on achieving the goal of ensuring sustainable conservation funding — largely because of the "N.W.T.:Our Land for the Future" conservation agreement signed last year. The agreement provides $375 million to Indigenous governments in N.W.T. for conservation initiatives, with funding coming from the federal government and private donors. "This crucial step underscores the government's commitment to implementing an Indigenous-led approach to protected and conserved areas. It will support Indigenous peoples' stewardship of their lands while also helping the territory expand its conservation network," auditor Jerry DeMarco told reporters on Friday afternoon. The auditor general's report said the territory is also on track to meet its other two conservation goals, although there are issues with the management of Territorial Protected Areas that need to be addressed, including a need for more monitoring to determine how co-management partnerships are working. Recommendations The auditors also flagged that many of the territory's hiring decisions related to the management of protected areas were made without input from Indigenous partners, and they recommended that the territorial government change this. The report also said that the territorial government's continued reliance on short-term federal funding to manage protected areas was a concern, as it lead to many jobs being filled through short-term contracts, resulting in high turnover. "We heard from Indigenous governments and Indigenous organizations that the increased turnover placed a burden on their staff to share their Indigenous knowledge each time a new employee from the government joined the operational team of the territorial protected areas," the report says. The report also urges the territorial government to work with the Tłı̨chǫ Government and Dehcho First Nations to develop a plan and timeline by the end of 2025 for five proposed protected areas where negotiations are currently stalled.
