Latest news with #NationalAdaptationStrategy
Canada Standard
a day ago
- Health
- Canada Standard
Ottawa's Plan for Climate Adaptation Is Falling Short, Report Says
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 its three components since its release in 2023, The Canadian Press reports. Canada has committed $1.6 billion to implementing the strategy, which is meant as a road map for communities across the country to up their game to prevent significant damage as the number of major storms, floods and fires increase exponentially with climate change. Environment and Climate Change Canada 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." View our latest digests 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%. "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 wholeofsociety 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. While several of them had goals and targets, DeMarco said there was nothing to show whether it was actually helping to advance the implementation of the National Adaptation Strategy. "That's a big problem in terms of accountability for what are going to be very large expenditures, and already have been large expenditures to date, if you aren't tying them together," DeMarco told The Canadian Press. "It's very difficult to know whether Canadians are getting value for the money that's being spent on it." For instance, the government has allocated $164 million to a flood hazard identification and mapping program led by Natural Resources Canada-almost $40 million for the first year alone. The report found the project had "minimal early actions taken" to determine whether it was actually contributing to the implementation of the national strategy. "It is fairly unusual to have a strategy that doesn't have connected goals targets and indicators," Kim Leach, the audit's principal, told The Canadian Press. "There's a lack of connection between the (national strategy) itself and some of these targets and indicators, because it's such a grab bag of old and new programming." DeMarco also found the government has not yet finalized two of the three key pillars of 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. Source: The Energy Mix
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Five things you need to know about the auditor general and environment audits
OTTAWA – Canada's auditor general and environment commissioner both released reports Tuesday covering everything from the soaring cost of fighter jets to the federal government's plans for climate change adaptation. Here are five things you need to know. F-35 costs soar amid project delays, pilot shortages The estimated cost of Canada's incoming fleet of advanced stealth fighters exploded by nearly 50 per cent in just a few years, auditor general Karen Hogan said. She concluded that costs associated with the F-35 advanced fighter jet program are running $8.7 billion higher than the original estimates. And she warns the program is being plagued by delays and critical shortfalls — including a lack of qualified pilots. Federal organizations failed to follow procurement and security rules Hogan found federal organizations failed to follow procurement and security rules when awarding contracts to the company behind the controversial ArriveCan app. An audit of GCStrategies found the company was awarded 106 contracts by 31 federal organizations between 2015 and 2024. The maximum value of those contracts was more than $90 million but only $65 million was paid out. Hogan's report says many contracts did not follow procurement rules and organizations often provided little evidence to show the work had actually been done. The report says that, for half of the contracts that required security clearances, federal organizations weren't able to show that those doing the work had the appropriate clearance before the contract was awarded. Ottawa's plan for climate change adaptation falls short Ottawa's efforts to prepare the country for the impacts of climate change have stumbled out of the gate, Canada's environment commissioner said. 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. Federal government slow to reduce, modernize its office space Hogan also found that while Public Services and Procurement Canada has had plans to downsize its office space footprint since 2019, that footprint has reduced only two per cent because full-scale implementation only began in 2024. Her report says the slow progress is mainly due to a lack of funding. Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. Ottawa too slow to process First Nations status applications Indigenous Services Canada has failed to process applications for registration under the Indian Act within the required six-month timeline — leaving many First Nations people unable to access on-reserve housing, financial aid for post-secondary education and health benefits, Hogan said. She said more than eight in 10 applications processed by the department exceeded the six-month service standard. Some of those were priority applications for older people or those with health issues. She also found a backlog of nearly 12,000 applications, including 1,500 that were more than two years old. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2025.
CTV News
2 days 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
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Insurance Bureau of Canada responds to audit on Canada's National Adaptation Strategy
Wildfires underscore the urgent need for action OTTAWA, ON, June 10, 2025 /CNW/ - Today, the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development and the Auditor General of Canada jointly tabled their audit on Canada's National Adaptation Strategy. Following the release of the audit, Craig Stewart, Vice-President, Climate Change and Federal Issues, Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), issued the following statement: "IBC and its members welcome the findings of the Auditor General of Canada's audit on Canada's National Adaptation Strategy. The Auditor General's findings clearly indicate that, despite years of focus on emissions reduction, the federal government has underperformed on commitments to protect Canadians from the wildfires, floods, windstorms and hailstorms affecting hundreds of thousands of Canadians today. As we've seen in recent weeks, wildfires have once again forced thousands of Canadians to flee their homes — a powerful signal that urgent action is needed to shield communities from worsening weather events. "Last summer, in the span of just 24 days, Canada experienced a series of devastating catastrophes, which resulted in nearly a quarter of a million insurance claims – 50% more than our industry usually experiences in an entire year. As weather-related risks continue to intensify year after year, the federal government needs to ramp up capital investments to keep Canada and its communities safe. "Over the last 10 years, Canada's federal government invested $41.8 billion to support emission reduction measures, which will reduce Canada's risk in 20 to 30 years. Only $4.1 billion – representing just one-tenth of the total invested in climate mitigation – was invested in measures that support reducing the risks that Canadians are already seeing today. This disparity must now be reversed. "Severe weather is getting worse. Canada's P&C insurers have long advocated for investments in natural and built infrastructure that defend Canadians against floods; conditions on federal investments to prevent new development in high-risk flood and wildfire areas; and retrofit programs to help existing homeowners to better protect their properties from severe weather. The industry stands ready to do its part and work closely and collaboratively with the federal government to create a more resilient country – one that is better able to adapt to extreme weather events, including wildfires." About Insurance Bureau of Canada Established in 1964, Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) is the national industry association representing Canada's private home, auto and business insurers. Its member companies make up the vast majority of Canada's highly competitive property and casualty (P&C) insurance market. As the leading advocate for Canada's private P&C insurers, IBC collaborates with governments, regulators and stakeholders to support a competitive environment for the P&C insurance industry to continue to help protect Canadians from the risks of today and tomorrow. IBC believes that Canadians value and deserve a responsive and resilient private P&C insurance industry that provides insurance solutions to both individuals and businesses. For media releases, IN Focus articles, or to book an interview with an IBC representative, visit Follow us on LinkedIn, X and Instagram, and like us on Facebook. If you have a question about home, auto or business insurance, contact IBC's Consumer Information Centre at 1-844-2ask-IBC. We're here to help. SOURCE Insurance Bureau of Canada View original content to download multimedia:
Cision Canada
2 days ago
- Business
- Cision Canada
Insurance Bureau of Canada responds to audit on Canada's National Adaptation Strategy
Wildfires underscore the urgent need for action OTTAWA, ON, June 10, 2025 /CNW/ - Today, the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development and the Auditor General of Canada jointly tabled their audit on Canada's National Adaptation Strategy. Following the release of the audit, Craig Stewart, Vice-President, Climate Change and Federal Issues, Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), issued the following statement: "IBC and its members welcome the findings of the Auditor General of Canada's audit on Canada's National Adaptation Strategy. The Auditor General's findings clearly indicate that, despite years of focus on emissions reduction, the federal government has underperformed on commitments to protect Canadians from the wildfires, floods, windstorms and hailstorms affecting hundreds of thousands of Canadians today. As we've seen in recent weeks, wildfires have once again forced thousands of Canadians to flee their homes — a powerful signal that urgent action is needed to shield communities from worsening weather events. "Last summer, in the span of just 24 days, Canada experienced a series of devastating catastrophes, which resulted in nearly a quarter of a million insurance claims – 50% more than our industry usually experiences in an entire year. As weather-related risks continue to intensify year after year, the federal government needs to ramp up capital investments to keep Canada and its communities safe. "Over the last 10 years, Canada's federal government invested $41.8 billion to support emission reduction measures, which will reduce Canada's risk in 20 to 30 years. Only $4.1 billion – representing just one-tenth of the total invested in climate mitigation – was invested in measures that support reducing the risks that Canadians are already seeing today. This disparity must now be reversed. "Severe weather is getting worse. Canada's P&C insurers have long advocated for investments in natural and built infrastructure that defend Canadians against floods; conditions on federal investments to prevent new development in high-risk flood and wildfire areas; and retrofit programs to help existing homeowners to better protect their properties from severe weather. The industry stands ready to do its part and work closely and collaboratively with the federal government to create a more resilient country – one that is better able to adapt to extreme weather events, including wildfires." About Insurance Bureau of Canada Established in 1964, Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) is the national industry association representing Canada's private home, auto and business insurers. Its member companies make up the vast majority of Canada's highly competitive property and casualty (P&C) insurance market. As the leading advocate for Canada's private P&C insurers, IBC collaborates with governments, regulators and stakeholders to support a competitive environment for the P&C insurance industry to continue to help protect Canadians from the risks of today and tomorrow. IBC believes that Canadians value and deserve a responsive and resilient private P&C insurance industry that provides insurance solutions to both individuals and businesses. For media releases, IN Focus articles, or to book an interview with an IBC representative, visit Follow us on LinkedIn, X and Instagram, and like us on Facebook. If you have a question about home, auto or business insurance, contact IBC's Consumer Information Centre at 1-844-2ask-IBC. We're here to help.
