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Bill 160, Climate Crisis Health Action Plan Act, 2023

Karpoche, Bhutila

Tabuns, Peter

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Status

Debates

Original

Bill 160 Original (PDF)

EXPLANATORY

NOTE

The

Bill enacts the Climate Crisis Health Action Plan Act,

2023 , which requires the Minister of Health to do the following:

1. Develop

and publish a strategic action plan that aims to ensure that Ontario’s public

health and health care systems are prepared for the health risks caused by the

impacts of the climate crisis.

2. Establish

the Climate Crisis and Health Secretariat whose responsibilities include

assisting the Minister with the development, revision and implementation of the

strategic action plan.

3. Establish

a science advisory board to advise the Minister with respect to climate change

science and health sciences and the impacts of the climate crisis on public

health.

The

Act requires that the strategic action plan be reviewed and, if necessary,

updated at least every four years.

Bill 160 2023

Act to provide for the development of a strategic action plan respecting the

impacts of the climate crisis on health, as well as the establishment of the

Climate Crisis and Health Secretariat and a science advisory board

Preamble

is increasingly clear that the climate crisis will have a substantial impact on

human health and that health crises can be profoundly debilitating for our

society, as evidenced by the impact of COVID-19.

Health

care and public health planning have so far been based on an assumption that

tomorrow will be much like today. It is increasingly apparent that this

assumption is false. In order to protect human life and property and to provide

as much stability for our society as possible it will be important to

understand and plan for the changes that are expected. The appearance of novel

diseases or the destruction of homes by extreme weather events are examples of

risks to human life. Now is the time to develop our understanding of and our

plans to minimize the damage caused by these kinds of risks.

Therefore,

His Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of

the Province of Ontario, enacts as follows:

Definition

this Act,

“Minister”

means the Minister of Health or such other member of the Executive Council as

may be assigned the administration of this Act under the Executive

Council Act .

Climate

crisis and health initiatives

(1) The

Minister shall,

(

a) on

or before the second anniversary of the day on which this Act receives Royal

Assent, develop and publish a strategic action plan that aims to ensure that

Ontario’s public health and health care systems are prepared for the health

risks, including those relating to mental health, to Ontarians caused by the

impacts of the climate crisis, including a significant rise in extreme heat

incidents, an increase in vector-borne diseases, the appearance of novel

contagious diseases, negative impacts on air quality due to increased heat,

forest fires and other causes, escalating ice, wind and other storm-related

activity, flooding and negative impacts on water quality;

(

b) establish

the Climate Crisis and Health Secretariat to perform the functions assigned to

the Secretariat by this Act; and

(

c) establish

a science advisory board, consisting of public health professionals and climate

scientists, to perform the functions assigned to the board by this Act.

Review

of strategic action plan

(2) On

or before the fourth anniversary of the day this Act receives Royal Assent and

every four years after that, the Minister shall review the strategic action

plan and make any changes to the plan that the Minister considers necessary to

ensure that the plan best meets its stated aims.

Plan

to be public

(3) The

Minister shall ensure that the plan and any amended plan are published on a web

site of the Government of Ontario.

Contents

of strategic action plan

(1) The

strategic action plan shall,

(

a) identify

key health risks to Ontarians caused by the impacts of the climate crisis;

(

b) identify

communities and populations vulnerable to the identified health risks;

(

c) set

out a plan to communicate to public health organizations, community health

organizations, health care facilities, health professionals and the public

strategies to mitigate the negative effects of the climate crisis on health;

(

d) establish

government programs that aim to advance research on the impacts of the climate

crisis on mental and physical health;

(

e) identify

and assess existing strategies to prepare for and deal with the risks and

impacts of the climate crisis on health;

(

f) identify

health care infrastructure projects that are of critical priority for

addressing the impacts of the climate crisis on health;

(

g) prepare

a plan to provide funding and guidance to public health units and health care

facilities to enable them to assess their vulnerabilities and develop climate

adaptation plans;

(

h) set

out modelling and forecasting tools to be used to assess the impacts of the

climate crisis on health; and

(

i) provide

for measures to support the development of academic and regional centres of

excellence that will be capable of identifying, assessing and improving best

practices for assuring the wellbeing of Ontarians in the face of the climate

crisis, as well as providing input to the Minister on related issues of public

policy.

Strategic

action plan to include monitoring

(2) The

strategic action shall also provide for the development, continual improvement

and integration of systems to monitor the impacts of the climate crisis on

health and the capacity to respond to those impacts.

Same

(3) Without

limiting the generality of subsection (2), the systems shall provide for the

monitoring of the following matters:

1. Water-borne,

food-borne and vector borne infectious diseases.

2. The

appearance of a novel contagious disease.

3. Respiratory

and cardiovascular health, including responses to aeroallergens, air pollution

and toxic exposures.

4. The

impacts of extreme temperatures on health, including premature deaths, hospital

admissions and morbidity.

5. The

health effects of air pollution, including heightened sensitivity to air

pollution.

6. Mental

and behavioural health related to extreme weather events and incremental

changes in climate.

7. The

health of indigenous people, Black and racialized people, migrants, refugees,

displaced persons, members of low income communities and members of any other

communities vulnerable to the impacts of the climate crisis on health.

8. Harmful

algal blooms.

9. Extreme

heat and weather events, including drought, storms and flooding events.

10. Food

insecurity resulting from shrinking access to food, potential disruptions to

food supplies and decreasing agricultural output, as well any decreased

nutritional value of crops.

11. Disruptions

in access to routine and acute medical care.

12. Any

other prescribed matter.

Mandate

of the Climate Crisis and Health Secretariat

(1) As

directed by the Minister and the Environment Minister, the members of the

Climate Crisis and Health Secretariat shall,

(

a) assist

with the development, revision and implementation of the strategic action plan;

(

b) gather

and disseminate information on the physical, mental and behavioural health

consequences of the climate crisis in Ontario;

(

c) track

data on environmental conditions that are indicators of health risks related to

the climate crisis;

(

d) expand

capacity for modelling and forecasting health effects that may be climate

related;

(

e) perform

research on the relationship between the climate crisis and health outcomes;

(

f) identify

locations and population groups at greatest risk for specific health threats,

such as increased heat stress, degraded air and water quality, food or

water-related illnesses, vector-borne illnesses, threats to pulmonary or

cardiovascular health or to mental and behavioural health and food, water and

nutrient insecurity;

(

g) communicate

the health related impacts of the climate crisis, including risks and costs

associated with the climate crisis and ways to reduce them, to the public;

(

h) develop

partnerships with other levels of government, the private sector,

non-governmental organizations, organizations representing healthcare

professionals and those representing healthcare providers, universities and

international organizations in order to more effectively address domestic and

global health aspects of the climate crisis;

(

i) provide

advice, data or information to any of the organizations referred to in clause

(

h) relevant to the development and implementation of preparedness measures

related to the health effects of the climate crisis;

(

j) provide

technical assistance and support to municipalities and First Nations, Inuit and

Métis communities in assessing preparedness to deal with the negative risks and

impacts of the climate crisis on health and strategies to respond to those

risks and impacts;

(

k) develop

and implement preparedness response plans for health related threats, such as

heat waves, severe weather events and infectious diseases;

(

l) develop

training programs for public health and health care professionals to better

enable them to respond to the health threats posed by the climate crisis and

communicate health risks to the public; and

(

m) perform

any other function that the Minister or the Environment Minister considers

advisable.

Definition

(2) In

this section,

“Environment

Minister” means the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks or such

other member of the Executive Council as may be assigned the administration of

the Environmental Protection Act .

Functions

of the science advisory board

(1) The

science advisory board shall,

(

a) provide

scientific and technical advice to the Minister on the domestic and

international impacts of the climate crisis on public health, including

populations and regions particularly vulnerable to the effects of the climate

crisis, and strategies to prepare for and respond to the impacts of the climate

crisis on public health; and

(

b) advise

the Minister on the most recent scientific developments in climate change

science and health sciences for the purposes of developing and revising the

strategic action plan.

Composition

(2) The

science advisory board shall be composed of not less than 10 and no more than

20 members appointed by the Minister.

Members

(3) Members

of the board shall have expertise in public health or the provision of health

care services or expertise in climate science.

Development

and revision of strategic action plan

(1) In

developing or revising the strategic action plan, the Minister shall,

(

a) have

regard to the most recent scientific developments in climate change science and

health sciences as identified by the science advisory board; and

(

b) ensure

that the persons and organizations referred to in subsection (2) are consulted

with.

Consultation

(2) The

following are the persons and organizations referred to in clause (1) (b):

1. Other

members of the Executive Council as the Minister considers appropriate.

2. Representatives

of First Nations, Inuit, Métis and Black communities.

3. Municipalities

and other organizations responsible for public health.

4. Members

of the scientific community.

5. Representatives

of communities most at-risk of experiencing negative health outcomes as a

result of the climate crisis.

6. Organizations

representing health care professionals and those representing healthcare

providers.

7. Any

other person or organization that, in the view of the Minister, should be

consulted.

Regulations

The

Lieutenant Governor in Council may make regulations respecting any matter

necessary or advisable to carry out effectively the intent and purpose of this

Act, and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, may make

regulations,

(

a) governing

the implementation of the strategic action plan;

(

b) prescribing

matters for the purposes of paragraph 12 of subsection 3 (3);

(

c) governing

the procedures of the science advisory board, including procedures for making

any recommendations to the Minister as well as the duties and responsibilities

of members of the board.

Commencement

This Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.

Short

title

The

short title of this Act is the Climate Crisis Health

Action Plan Act, 2023 .

Date Bill stage Event Outcome Committee

December 6, 2023

First Reading

Ordered for Second Reading

December 6, 2023

First Reading

Vote

Carried

First Reading

December 6, 2023

Carried

Ordered for Second Reading

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