News Release
2002-47
June 21, 2002
For immediate release
Health Canada announces funding for research on the impact of climate change on the health
of Canadians
TORONTO, ONTARIO - Karen Redman, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the
Environment and Member of Parliament for Kitchener Centre, announced today at the Third
Annual Smog Summit in Toronto, on behalf of the Honourable Anne McLellan, Minister of Health,
that Health Canada will contribute $255,473 to the City of Toronto (Toronto Public Health)
to conduct a research study on the synergistic impacts of weather and air pollution on
human mortality for selected locations in South Central Canada.
The proposed research project, conducted through co-operation between municipal and federal
governments, will investigate climate change factors and their effect on the health of
Canadians, more specifically factors that trigger health problems in South Central Canada.
The findings generated by this study will allow for planning and identifying policy options
to improve the health of Canadians. Technical support for this project will be provided
by Environment Canada's Meteorological Service of Canada.
"Climate change affects the health of human populations," said Minister McLellan. "These
effects are diverse, often unpredictable in magnitude and sometimes slow to emerge. With
research, planning and reparation, some projected impacts of climate change can be minimized
while preparations for others can be undertaken."
"Too often in the past, environmental issues have been addressed in isolation," said the
Honourable David Anderson, Minister of the Environment. "I applaud the investigators' intention
to examine the combined effects of weather extremes, air pollution and climate change on
human health."
This research project is funded through Health Canada's Health Policy Research Program which
is designed to fund and generate quality policy-relevant research from researchers outside
of Health Canada. The program also funds research that helps bridge the gap between what
is known and what is applied in policies and programs relevant to Health Canada and to
other policy makers.
The Program supports four distinct classes of activities: research projects; developmental
projects; workshops, seminars and conferences; and federal/provincial/territorial partnerships.
For more information on the Health Policy Research Program, please visit our web
site.
Funding for this project was provided for in the December 2001 budget and is therefore
built into the existing fiscal framework.
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Media Inquiries:
Paige Raymond Kovach
Health Canada
(613) 957-1803
Michel Cléroux
Media Relations
Environment Canada
(819) 953-4016
Public Inquiries (Health Canada):
(613) 957-2991
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