Reducing Urban Heat Islands to Protect Health in Canada
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REDUCING URBAN HEAT ISLANDS TO PROTECT HEALTH IN CANADA AN INTRODUCTION FOR PUBLIC HEALTH PROFESSIONALS Health Canada is the federal department responsible for helping the people of Canada maintain and improve their health. Health Canada is committed to improving the lives of all of Canada’s people and to making this country’s population among the healthiest in the world as measured by longevity, lifestyle and effective use of the public health care system. Également disponible en français sous le titre : Réduire les îlots de chaleur urbains pour protéger la santé au Canada : Introduction pour les professionnels de la santé publique To obtain additional information, please contact: Health Canada Address Locator 0900C2 Ottawa, ON K1A 0K9 Tel.: 613-957-2991 Toll free: 1-866-225-0709 Fax: 613-941-5366 TTY: 1-800-465-7735 E-mail: [email protected] © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Health, 2020 Publication date: March 2020 This publication may be reproduced for personal or internal use only without permission provided the source is fully acknowledged. Cat.: H144-60/2019E-PDF ISBN: 978-0-660-30381-9 Pub.: 180919 PHOTO COURTESY OF CARL CAMPBELL Summary “Urban heat islands” (UHIs) refer to warmer temperatures in urban areas than in surrounding rural areas. These warmer temperatures can magnify health impacts during heat waves. Public health professionals can play an important role in protecting health by spearheading or contributing to action to reduce UHIs. In fact, public health professionals (including staff at public health authorities, university researchers, and officials in provincial and federal ministries of health) in Canada have contributed to various UHI reduction initiatives. For example, local health authorities were a key driver behind Quebec City’s measures to reduce UHIs in vulnerable neighbourhoods. However, there is a lack of guidance specifically to provide advice to public health professionals about how they can collaborate with local governments to advance action to reduce UHIs. The purpose of this Health Canada report is to fill this gap in knowledge and provide tips, strategies, and case studies that can help public health professionals as they support local governments and organizations with reducing UHIs. The report includes nine practical case studies highlighting how public health professionals across Canada have helped to advance actions to reduce UHIs in their communities. This report focuses on advice for reducing outdoor temperatures; while actions to reduce indoor temperatures are important, they are beyond the scope of this report. Target audience The target audience for this report is public health officials at the local, provincial, and national levels interested in helping communities reduce the health impacts from extreme heat events. The report will also be of interest to urban planners and other municipal staff to better understand how they can collaborate with public health authorities in the Canadian context to advance action. REDUCING URBAN HEAT ISLANDS I Forewords I chose designing for With climate change, healthy living as the the number of very hot focus of my first report days in many parts of as Canada’s Chief Public Canada is expected to Health Officer. Where more than double by we live matters and the middle of the opportunities to influence 21st century. the form of the built environments can help reduce health inequities and improve health outcomes Many urban areas in Canada, with their high for Canadians. proportion of dark roof and road surfaces, absorb the sun’s rays and radiate it out, heating up both One of the calls to action in my State of Public air and surface temperatures. These warmer Health in Canada (2017) report is to strengthen temperatures in urban areas can magnify health existing healthy built environment approaches as risks during heat waves. well as share lessons learned and best practices. Extreme heat is a significant public health issue The Safe Environments Directorate at Health in Canada. This Health Canada report — “Reducing Canada is mandated with reducing the risks of urban heat islands to protect health in Canada: common environmental issues (including climate an introduction for public health professionals” — change) that affect human health. This Health shares case studies and approaches for how public Canada report — “Reducing urban heat islands to health professionals can collaborate with local protect health in Canada: an introduction for public governments to reduce the intensity of urban health professionals” — reveals the important role heat islands (UHI) in summer. that health professionals have in helping implement community actions to cool communities and protect The built environment changes needed to public health during heat waves. The report reduce UHIs have the added benefit of positively provides tips, approaches and case studies about influencing lifestyle factors associated with chronic how public health professionals can collaborate diseases. For example, increasing urban green with local governments to reduce urban space reduces outdoor temperatures, while also temperatures in the summer. promoting mental wellness, encouraging active transportation, increasing physical activity levels This report demonstrates that by working together and reducing health inequities (e.g. health inequities health professionals and community officials can can be reduced by planting trees in areas where implement bold preventive actions to protect the marginalized populations live and work). health of Canadians from environmental issues like extreme heat. The lessons learned from Health Canada’s UHI report will help health professionals more broadly David Morin develop strategies for advancing healthy built Director General of the Safe environments. I urge health professionals in Canada Environments Directorate, Health Canada to become more engaged in ensuring community design supports positive public health outcomes. Dr. Theresa Tam Chief Public Health Officer of Canada II REDUCING URBAN HEAT ISLANDS Acknowledgements Health Canada gratefully acknowledges the contributions of the following people to the development of this document: Gregory R.A. Richardson Jim Frehs Peter Murphy Health Canada Indigenous Services Canada Québec City Diamir de Scally Charito Gailling Ting Pan University of Waterloo British Columbia Centre Vancouver Island for Disease Control Health Authority Louise Aubin Peel Public Health Andrew Gonzalez Karina Richters McGill University City of Windsor Mélanie Beaudoin Institut national de Adam Griffiths Emmanuel Rondia santé publique du Québec Health Canada Conseil régional de l’environnement de Montréal Kevin Behan Katherine Isaac Clean Air Partnership City of Vancouver Alexandra Rutledge Health Canada Peter Berry Kiera Keown Health Canada Canadian Institutes Rebekka Schnitter of Health Research Health Canada Carolyn Brown Science Communication Sharon Lam Bill Stephen Ontario Climate City of Vancouver Louis Coningsby Consortium Secretariat Clean Air Partnership Shayna Stott Melissa Le Geyt City of Toronto Marisa Creatore University of Waterloo Canadian Institutes of Rebecca Stranberg Health Research Georgeanne MacGregor-Fox Health Canada Regional Municipality Margaret de Groh Benita Tam of Waterloo Public Health Agency of Canada Environment and Ahalya Mahendra Climate Change Canada Marla Desat Public Health Agency of Canada Standards Council of Canada Carolyn Tateishi Maria Malik Health Canada Shawn Donaldson University of Waterloo Health Canada Julie Tellier Patricia Manuel City of Montréal Dick Ebersohn Dalhousie University City of Calgary James Voogt Tamsin Mills University of Western Ontario Patti Edwards City of Vancouver Environment and Amber Walker Climate Change Canada Safoura Moazami Nova Scotia Health Authority Toronto Public Health Paddy Enright Angie Woo University of Waterloo Zainab Moghal Fraser Health Environment and Eric Lavigne Climate Change Canada Health Canada REDUCING URBAN HEAT ISLANDS III Table of Contents Acknowledgements ..........................................................................III Chapter 1 An overview of urban heat islands and health ........................................... 1 Chapter 2 The health risks of urban heat islands to Canadians ....................................... 3 2.1 Extreme heat is a health risk to Canadians ........................................... 3 2.2 What is the urban heat island effect? ............................................... 6 2.3 How do urban heat islands magnify health risks in summer? ............................ 9 2.4 What changes can communities make to the built environment to reduce urban heat islands? ........................................................... 11 2.5 Maximizing the co-benefits of urban heat island–reduction actions ...................... 12 Chapter 3 Case studies ..................................................................... 13 Rapid health impact assessment of Halifax’s draft Centre Plan Framework ................... 14 Québec City pilot project to green Anna Street ........................................... 16 Montréal’s ILEAU initiative .......................................................... 18 Toronto Shade Policy and Guidelines .................................................. 20 A Healthy Development Assessment Tool in Peel Region, Ontario............................ 22 Improving thermal comfort in parks in Windsor, Ontario .................................