Climate change impacts on Canada
Climate change affects Canada mainly in the form of heatwaves, droughts, floods and wildfires. The intensity of these events has increased overtime and impacts citizens’ way of life across the country.
A Yahoo news headline dated August 5, 2025 states, “widespread heat wave set to scorch Ontario and Atlantic Canada”. In support of this, it argues that “a major pattern shift will send Eastern Canada into a prolonged period of heat and humidity, beginning this weekend and lasting well into next week,” and that “temperatures across Ontario, Quebec and parts of Atlantic Canada are expected to rise into the 30s, with humidex values reaching the 40s in some areas.” Canada uses the Celsius temperature scale, 40 Degrees Celsius is equivalent to 104 Degrees Fahrenheit.
Canada.ca, a government publication published July 9, 2024, reported on the heatwaves that occurred in Canada in June of that year. It contends that in the eastern section of the province of Ontario, “from June 17 to 19, 2024, a heat wave reached a peak temperature of 29.0 degrees Celsius averaged over the region, which is 7.4 degrees Celsius above normal” and In the south of the province of Quebec, “from June 18 to 20, 2024, a heat wave reached a peak temperature of 29.5 degrees Celsius averaged over the region, which is 10.7 degrees Celsius above normal,” in the northern portion of Quebec, “from June 18 to 20, 2024, a heat wave reached a peak temperature of 21.5 degrees Celsius averaged over the region, which is 7.2 degrees Celsius above normal” and in Canada’s Atlantic region, “from June 18 to 20, 2024, a heat wave reached a peak temperature of 26.1 degrees Celsius averaged over the region, which is 10.6 degrees Celsius above normal.” As discussed elsewhere 2024 was the planet’s hottest year on record, so Canada’s intense heat experience during that year was mainly an example of the general global reality.
Droughts are common features in many parts of Canada and these events are usually more concerning in regions of the country where major food production is concentrated. The July 10, 2025 publication of The Western Producer shows that a major concern existed in the important agricultural areas of the Canadian prairie Provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta in the middle of year, with regard to the impacts of droughts on farming of wheat, Canola, Barley and livestock rearing. These are major agricultural products that support the local Canadian market, and as well, form a large part of the nation’s agricultural export. According to the The Western Producer, and using Agriculture Canada as reference, starting in May 2025 “the southern Prairies as well as northwestern Alberta received very low precipitation through June, along with hot, windy, dry conditions, which have led to the development of significant drought conditions. This includes southern Saskatchewan, southeastern Alberta and south-central Manitoba,” and Agriculture Canada is also noted to have said “June was a exceptionally dry month for this region, and conditions degraded very quickly. Most of the region recorded under 20 millimetres of precipitation in June, which is one-third their normal precipitation amounts. Large portions of southwestern Saskatchewan are now rated as severe drought with a smaller pocket in the Maple Creek region being rated as extreme.” With regard to the ultimate impact of the drought in some regions, the Western Producer states that “Southwestern Saskatchewan has seen well below normal precipitation this growing season, leading to some very severe drought conditions. Many rural municipalities in this region have declared states of agricultural disaster.”
Writing on the topic “climate Change and drought,” the Canadian climate institute in September, 2024 starts out by pointing to the direct link between the two, it says “climate change has made droughts more frequent and severe around the world, and the trend is expected to continue to worsen” and that “rising temperatures strain water supplies by increasing both evaporation rates and water consumption by plants resulting in drier soil conditions and water scarcity.” Addressing drought’s real impact on Canada’s Prairie agricultural farms, for example, the Climate Institute states that, ” due to severe drought, crop production in Saskatchewan fell by a record 47 per cent in 2021,” and that “droughts were an important factor in the recent dramatic increase in crop insurance payments in Canada, which surged from $890 million in 2018 to $4.9 billion in 2022.” Droughts usually cause a reduction in water supply and this in turn normally affects hydropower that is used in electricity generation, according to the Climate Institute, “in January 2024, drought conditions in both B.C. and Manitoba meant lower reservoir levels at hydroelectric facilities, forcing the two provinces to import power from other jurisdictions.” Overall, the broad impact of droughts on electricity generation, the Canadian Institute contends, is that they “limit hydroelectricity generation, cutting revenue for utilities, increasing reliance on fossil-fuel generation and making electricity more expensive for consumers.”
A feature of climate change in Canada is the regular occurrence of flash floods, these are massive water accumulations due to intense and excessive rainfall that happens suddenly or within a relatively short period of time. The July 15, 2025 publication of the Montreal Gazette covered the July 13 flash floods in Montreal and shows a few videos of the event, that were also posted on social media. The Gazette states that “Montrealers were soaked to the bone on Sunday after the city received 70 to 100 millimetres of rain, according to preliminary data compiled by Environment Canada,” and because of this, it claims, about 100,000 homes lost electricity in the Province of Quebec.
The Weather Network analyzed the 2024 summer floods in Eastern Canada in its online article on August 21, 2024. It says to its readers “You may have noticed all of the rain in Toronto, Ont., this summer, resulting in multiple flooding events, travel disruptions and other inconveniences for any planned outings…It’s not just your imagination. It has been quite rainy in Canada’s most populated city this summer, leading to numerous records being set, including its wettest day and July ever.” Demonstrating the intensity of the rainfall The Weather Network states, “As of Aug. 21, Pearson, (Toronto’s International Airport), has recorded a whopping 498 mm of rainfall, far surpassing its previous high of 396.8 mm that was documented from June to August in 2008,” and from the standpoint of cost, “the July 16 flooding in Toronto and southern Ontario resulted in more than $940 million worth of insured damage, the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) announced Monday.”
Congratulations to Canada, Ember Energy is reporting that renewable energy is the largest source of energy being used in Canada’s electricity generation, it writes, “79% of Canada’s electricity was generated from low-carbon sources in 2024, almost twice the global average of 41%. It was the 8th largest country by electricity demand.” It claims that of the 79%, hydropower is 55% and solar and wind together is below the world average at 8.5%. As a review of Ember Energy data shows, fossil fuels are responsible for only 21% of Canada’s electricity generation, a small percentage compared to other countries, with coal, a big greenhouse gas emitter, representing a miniscule 4.2% in 2024. Based on these figures, it is clear that less greenhouse gases are being generated from Canada’s electricity generation than almost any other country.
Electric Vehicle sales in Canada are slowing. Assessing the market, Motorillustrated reported on May 15, 2025 that “Electric vehicle sales in Canada fell 44.9 % year-over-year in March 2025, according to new data from Statistics Canada, marking the sharpest decline since the federal purchase rebate was suspended in January.” The Purchase rebate program was highly popular and its allotted funds were depleted by January, two months earlier than its intended expiration date of March, 2025, it has not yet been renewed. The rebate was for new EV purchases, $5,000 for zero-emission vehicles and $2,500 for plugin-in hybrids. Motorillustrated argues further that “automakers sold 12,347 zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) during the month, compared to 22,390 in March 2024. ZEVs represented 6.5 % of all new motor vehicles sold in March, slightly below February’s 6.8 % share.” Motorillustrated also draws our attention to the fact that, in Canada, new zero-emission vehicles “are mandated by federal legislation. ZEVs are required to make up 20 % of new-vehicle sales by 2026, increasing to 60 % by 2030 and 100 % by 2035.” The drop in EV sales has triggered a call from car manufacturers for the government to eliminate the electric vehicle mandate, citing the business risk of manufacturing cars that consumers are not buying. As Motorillustrated argues, “the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association said the abrupt end to rebates and a lack of nationwide charging infrastructure have led to what it called a collapse in sales. ‘EV sales have collapsed in Canada,’ said CEO Brian Kingston.’ The end of purchase incentives and the growing EV charging gap are the culprits.”
Massive wildfires are also regular features of the climate change experience in Canada, this has been discussed elsewhere.
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