Climate Change in Simcoe Muskoka

Climate change is affecting people and communities in Simcoe Muskoka. It impacts all aspects of our lives in direct and indirect ways. Indirect impacts occur when climactic changes (e.g., changes in temperature, precipitation, extreme weather) interact with human and natural systems to create additional climate-related impacts. Human health, the natural and built environment, and the economy are all affected and interconnected. Changes to the environment (e.g., water quality) have an influence on health (e.g., increased risk of water-borne diseases) and the economy (e.g., increased health system cost, reduced tourism opportunities). Changes to the economy, in turn, also impact health because they can alter key determinants of health (or conditions of daily life) such as changes related to income, shelter, behaviour, natural and built environments and social connection.

In Simcoe Muskoka, our average temperature has increased since the 1990s; we experience more hot days and extreme heat events and milder winter temperatures punctuated by extreme cold events. Extreme weather events such as flooding, severe thunderstorms, and tornadoes increasingly affect our communities. Increased temperatures are associated with an increase in food- and water-borne illnesses, and the risk of vector-borne diseases such as Lyme disease has risen. These changes impact our built and natural environments, health, and economic opportunities.

Overall, climate change affects people’s lives, livelihoods, and well-being, with some people impacted more than others.

See the Climate Assessments and Data in the expander bar below, for more information on climate change and climate-related impacts.

Climate Assessments and Data

Several climate change assessments have been completed locally, nationally and internationally from various perspectives (e.g., health, environment, economics). These assessments are tools to identify and understand the impacts of climate change on our communities and inform the development of climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies.

Local Climate Assessments and Surveillance Data

• A Changing Climate: Assessing health impacts and vulnerabilities due to climate change within Simcoe Muskoka (Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit)
• Simcoe Muskoka HealthSTATS: Climate Change (Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit)
• Climate Change Adaptation Strategy (Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority)
• Climate Change Mitigation Strategy (Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority)
• NVCA Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan: Research (Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority)
• Muskoka Watershed Report Card (Muskoka Watershed Council)
• Climate Change in the Great Lakes Basin: Summary of Trends and Impacts (Binational.net)

National Climate Assessments

• Canada in a Changing Climate: Advancing our Knowledge for Action is a national assessment on how and why our climate is changing, the impacts of climate change on communities, environments and economy and actions to mitigate and adapt to climate change. It includes a series of reports from various sectors, including:
• Canada’s Changing Climate Report
• Health of Canadians in a Changing Climate
• National Issues Report
• Regional Perspectives – Chapter 3: Ontario
• The Canadian Climate Institute completed an assessment on the economic impacts of climate change in Canada.
• Damage Control: Reducing the costs of climate impacts in Canada
• Under Water: The Costs of Climate Change for Canada’s Infrastructure
• The Health Costs of Climate Change: How Canada Can Adapt, Prepare and Save
• Tip of the Iceberg: Navigating the Known and Unknown Costs of Climate Change
• Advancing the Climate Resilience of Canadian Infrastructure: A review of Literature to inform the way forward (International Institute for Sustainable Development)

International Climate Assessments

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a United Nations body for assessing the science, technical and socio-economic knowledge related to climate change. The sixth comprehensive assessment reports (AR6) and special reports include:

• AR6 Climate Change 2022:
• The Physical Science Basis
• Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability
• Mitigation of Climate Change
• Special Reports

Other Data Sources

• Climate and Source Water Protection Data (gov.on.ca)
• Climate Atlas of Canada (climateatlas.ca)
• Climate Data for a Resilient Canada (climatedata.ca)
• Google Environmental Insights Explorer (Google)
• Healthy Design Cities (Healthydesign.city)
• Mapping the Vulnerability and Exposure to Extreme Heat Waves of Populations Living in Housing in Canadian Communities
• IDF_CC Web-based Tool for Updating Intensity-Duration-Frequency Curves to Changing Climate (Western University)
• Ontario Climate Change Projections (OCCP) (yorku.ca)
• Open Data Portal (Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority)
• Toronto and Region Climate Change Projections (Toronto and Region Conservation Authority)

See Climate Risk Institute’s list of Climate Data available here to inform decision-making regarding climate change action and preparedness.