The climate crisis is a health crisis, and Canada’s health care system can be part of the solution – The Globe and Mail
Sep 22, 2025
When wildfires are looming in the distance, Yellowknife-based emergency medicine physician Dr. Courtney Howard can tell by the smoke in the sky and a burnt orange sun. She can also recognize the health impacts of severe wildfires in her patients: acutely runny noses, headaches and exacerbated respiratory symptoms for people with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
“After a couple of days of exposure [to wildfire smoke], we start to see increased heart attacks and other cardiac problems,” says Dr. Howard, who is also vice-chair of not-for-profit organization Global Climate and Health Alliance (GCHA). “There are risks for pregnant people in terms of preterm birth. We know that children exposed in early life have increased respiratory tract infections, and recent studies suggest there may be an increased risk of brain and lung cancer as well as potential increases in dementia.”
There are mental health impacts too, especially for those who have been evacuated from their homes due to past wildfires.
