From climate alerts to health protection: an implementation agenda for Canada

Abstract

Canada has increasingly sophisticated weather and air-quality warnings, yet the public health value of an alert depends on what happens afte r it is issued. The 2021 heat emergency in British Columbia caused 619 heat-related deaths; 56% of those who died lived alone (Government of Canada, 2023). Wildfire smoke and extreme heat can coincide and compound physical and mental health risks (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2025). These events raise a practical question for a federated health system: how can a forecast reliably trigger outreach, clinical preparation and protection for people least able to respond? Canada’s National Adaptation Strategy recognises health and well-being as an adaptation priority (Government of Canada, 2023), while Health Canada supports heat-alert and response systems and the HealthADAPT programme (Health Canada, 2022, 2025). The next step is to connect these efforts through a measurable forecast-to-action pathway. This commentary proposes a model for provincial and territorial health authorities, local public-health units, health-care organisations and community partners. It is an implementation proposal, not a claim that its effectiveness has been established.