There’s no question that we’ve had a pretty mild winter so far, but just how mild has it been compared to other winters?
Environment Canada meteorologist Geoff Coulson pulled data from the observation site in Beatrice, which has been around in a variety of incarnations since 1878. “When I looked at the records, and again we’re talking about a site that goes back well over 100 years, this past December was actually the second mildest on record.”
Coulson said the mildest December experienced at the Beatrice site was in December 2015 with an average temperature of 1.4 Degrees Celcius. While this past December we had an average temperature of -1.0 Degrees Celcius and the long-term average for the Beatrice area in December has been -6.5 Degrees Celsius, “so well away from that long-term average for the month of December,” he noted.
That trend continued in January. The long-term average for January has historically been -10.7 Degrees while the average this past January was -5.4 Degrees Celcius, “so pretty far off that long-term average, and when I looked at it historically it came in as the tenth mildest January which, again, for a site with well over 100 years of records, making the top ten is still pretty noteworthy.”
Coulson said February also started much milder than normal.
According to Sarah Fig with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF), last summer Ontario unveiled its first Provincial Climate Change Impact Assessment, recognizing the evolving climate in the province. “The assessment reveals that in the next 30 years, ecosystems and ecological services are at a high risk of degradation or loss because of climate change, escalating to very high risks by the century’s end.”
She noted that some of the effects of climate change on Ontario’s natural resources include:
- Warmer and drier conditions for parts of Ontario’s forests, which may affect the future growth of trees and increase the likelihood of wildfires and insect outbreaks
- Warming streams and lakes that may reduce cold water fish habitats and cause a decline in certain fish species
- Reduced water levels that may eliminate wetlands or affect their ability to reduce erosion, filter contaminants, and provide fish and wildlife habitat
- Warmer and shorter winters that result in movement of some species into new areas, potentially impacting other wildlife populations
“The Impact Assessment highlights the need for a robust environment to adapt to climate change. Ontario is actively improving its climate resilience, and continues to engage with partners to better prepare for the challenges of climate change,” she added.
According to Gary Wheeler with the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP), the Provincial Climate Change Impact Assessment essentially found that the climate has changed, is changing and will continue to change across all regions of Ontario. Climate change impacts are being observed across sectors, ecosystems, communities and industries and will increase in the future, noted Wheeler.
The impact assessment was conducted across six geographic regions covering all of Ontario. Muskoka and the region of east Parry Sound fall within the southern end of the assessment’s Northeast Region.
“For Northeast Ontario, extreme heat, extreme precipitation and winter precipitation are currently driving the highest risks in the Northeast region. In the future, the Northeast region is expected to experience extreme heat and high temperatures more frequently,” wrote Wheeler in an email to Huntsville Doppler.
He noted that completing Ontario’s first-ever, multi-sector, provincial-level climate change impact assessment was an important first step to help government, Indigenous communities, municipalities, and businesses make more informed decisions that better address the regional and sector-specific impacts of climate change.
Wheeler said the Province is also undertaking a range of actions to address climate change, as well as help prepare and protect Ontario from its impacts.
“Our government extended the Build Back Better pilot project to 2023 and expanded its funding from $1 million up to $3 million. This program, led by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH), provides municipalities that qualify for Municipal Disaster Recovery Assistance with funding of up to 15 per cent above the estimated cost of rebuilding damaged public infrastructure to make it more resilient to extreme weather.
“Ontario is also working to ensure our Building Code is harmonized with the National Building Code, as well as engaging with the federal government on the development of their Canada Green Building Strategy (CGBS) that has the objective of ensuring buildings are net-zero and resilient from the start,” he wrote via email correspondence.
According to Wheeler, the Province is also in the process of implementing its first made-in-Ontario Provincial Emergency Management Strategy and Action Plan, released on February 3, 2023, to ensure Ontarians are safe, practiced and prepared before, during, and after emergencies.
“Additionally, Ontario is currently implementing a range of flood management, green infrastructure and emergency management initiatives to better protect people, communities and infrastructure so that Ontario can remain resilient in the face of increasingly severe weather events.
“Further, the ministry is providing $15 million to 18 municipalities in the Lake Ontario basin to improve their wastewater and stormwater management systems.”
The study, which involved input from across governments and various sectors, was conducted by the Climate Risk Institute, selected through a fair and competitive process, explained Wheeler.
“They are recognized leaders in Ontario and across Canada in understanding, assessing, and communicating climate change risks, vulnerabilities, and impacts. The team members have worked with many federal, provincial, municipal, Indigenous organizations, and private sector clients in assessing and managing climate change-related risks and impacts, are experts in their fields, and are based in locations across Ontario, bringing a broad range of perspectives to this assessment,” he added.
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Someone needs to let Mr Ford know that reopening gas power plants, removing electric car incentives and dismantling wind farms will increase the impact of climate change.
Solutions should not only involve shoring up the infrastructure to survive climate disasters. We have a global responsibility to significantly reduce our carbon footprint by reducing our fossil fuel consumption (I am very sceptical about “carbon capture” proposals!)
Smell smoke in Ontario? Get used to it.
Ford cut emergency firefighting funding by 67%.
Just before massive wildfires in Ontario.
Get used to the smoke and destruction.
“As Ontario faces the devastating consequences of ongoing wildfires, it becomes apparent that the Doug Ford government’s decision to slash the forest firefighting budget by a staggering 67 per cent ($142.2 million according to 2019 Ontario Budget) was a reckless and short-sighted move.”
Just like Ford cut those trained to handle a pandemic.
Right before a massive, deadly worldwide pandemic.
“Public Health Ontario suffered exodus of senior leaders and budget cuts before the COVID-19 pandemic struck”
Get used to the deaths.
While “Ford government sitting on $22 billion in excess funding”
But that’s all earmarked for Ford’s buds at private companies.
Health Care, wildfirefighting and other public services can GTH.
Thanks Tamara for a very informative, easy to read article about MNRF’s Climate Change Impact Assessment. Helpful for us to learn about how Ontario is affected by the changing climate. Also good news that the federal and Ontario government are working on green building code harmonization, and that Ontario is planning for resilience in the face of increased risk for flooding, and perhaps other extreme weather related events like the drought and forest fires being experienced in the west. Even though we are in beautiful Muskoka, we too often forget we are just a part of nature.