Hello Ontario Nurses for the Environment!
In this email:
- Greening Nursing Schools Community of Practice - Feb. 6 at 3 p.m. ET
- Maximum Allowable Indoor and Working Temperatures RNAO AGM Resolution consultation
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Greening Nursing Schools Community of Practice
Come collaborate with other nurse educators, students and those interested in nursing education about how to green nursing school. Topics include reducing the environmental footprint of nursing school and introducing planetary health and disaster management competencies into curricula.
Past meetings have had nurses zoom-in from all over North America and many are experts in the field leading initiatives. The meeting is an inclusive conversation where everyone is given opportunities to share and ask questions. Some people have fully developed planetary health curriculums whereas others want to learn more about how to start similar initiatives.
Join us on Thursday, Feb. 6 at 3 p.m. ET! Register via this weblink: https://MyRNAO.ca/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=1743.
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ONE RNAO AGM Resolution Consultation
Every year, ONE puts together a resolution for the RNAO AGM. This year our executive team has been very busy putting one together asking RNAO to advocate for safe indoor and working temperatures. Our executive team will be meeting this Thursday evening to finalize it before submitting. Please review it and send any feedback to oneigrnao@gmail.com before noon on Thursday, Jan. 23.
Guidelines include 3 "whereas" statements, 2 "be it resolved" statements (the part that gets voted on at the AGM) and a one-page backgrounder with references. (Note that we are already beyond the page limit, so any additions will mean cuts to other sections).
Resolution:
Maximum Allowable Indoor and Working Temperatures
Whereas 2024 was the hottest year on record being 1.55ºC [1] above the pre-industrial average and Canada is heating up at twice the rate of the rest of the world [2];
Whereas the people most vulnerable to heat related illness are older adults, marginalized and homebound without access to indoor cooling systems;
Whereas the other most vulnerable population are outdoor workers, including nurses in the the community like home care nurses charting in their cars;
Be it resolved that RNAO advocate for whatever policy means available at all levels of government to push for maximum allowable indoor temperature of 26ºC in residential dwellings, congregate living and healthcare facilities as well as workplaces (workplace exemptions could exist so long as occupational safety mechanisms are put in place);
Be it further resolved that RNAO advocate for changes to the labour code to include a maximum allowable outdoor working temperature exemptions for emergency workers where occupational safety mechanisms are put in place.
Backgrounder:
Canada is heating up at twice the rate of the rest of the world and heat waves, extreme heat, and tropical nights (>18C) are becoming much more frequent [2]. Southern Ontario is forecasted to nearly double the number of days over 30° C per year by mid-century. [3]
Extreme heat increases all-cause mortality and morbidity through multiple body systems (cardiovascular, renal, respiratory), mental health and poor birth outcomes [4]. In Quebec, a study found that higher summer temperatures are associated with 36,000 ER visits and nearly 500 deaths [5]. During the 2021 week-long BC heat dome, there were 619 deaths, 98% of which occurred indoors [6]. Heat-related hospitalization rates are projected to increase at least 21% by 2050 [7]. Extreme heat has been linked to increased workplace injuries as well as gender-based violence [8,9].
The health impacts of extreme heat are disproportionately borne by those with the fewest resources to adapt (i.e. lower income, older adults, those with disabilities, Indigenous populations) and urgent action is needed [10]. Low-income urban communities can be as high as 5ºC hotter than wealthier communities due to limited access to air conditioning and lack of green spaces [11], are often from equity-deserving groups and have heat risks exacerbated by chronic health conditions, occupational exposures (indoor factory and outdoor labour), and limited access to medical care [9].
Exposure to indoor temperatures above 26°C is associated with increases in emergency calls and death. Evidence supports an upper limit of 26°C indoors as providing sufficient protection from heat-related injury and death for individuals living and working inside, including those at increased risk due to age or underlying health conditions [2]. This value has also been identified by the Ontario Ministry of Long-term Care for long-term care facilities, and by the Chief Coroner of British Columbia for new builds [12].
Reference:
[2] Public Health Agency of Canada. Chief Public Health Officer of Canada’s Report on the State of Public Health in Canada 2022: Mobilizing Public Health Action on Climate Change in Canada. Ottawa, ON: Public Health Agency of Canada; 2022.
[3] Zhang, X., Flato, G., Kirchmeier-Young, M., Vincent, L., Wan, H., Wang, X., Rong, R., Fyfe, J., Li, G., Kharin, V.V. (2019): Changes in Temperature and Precipitation Across Canada; Chapter 4 in Bush, E. and Lemmen, D.S. (Eds.) Canada’s Changing Climate Report. Government of Canada, Ottawa, ON. https://changingclimate.ca/CCCR2019/chapter/4-0/
[4] Gosselin, P., Campagna, C., Demers-Bouffard, D., Qutob, S., & Flannigan, M. (2022). Natural Hazards. In P. Berry & R. Schnitter (Eds.), Health of Canadians in a Changing Climate: Advancing our Knowledge for Action. Ottawa, ON: Government of Canada.
[5] Boudreault J, Lavigne É, Campagna C, Chebana F. Estimating the heat-related mortality and morbidity burden in the province of Quebec, Canada. Environ Res. 2024 Sep 15;257:119347. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.119347. Epub 2024 Jun 4. PMID: 38844034.
[6] BC Coroners Service. 2022. Extreme Heat and Human Mortality: A Review of Heat-Related Deaths in B.C. in Summer 2021. Burnaby, BC. https://www2.gov.B.C..ca/assets/ gov/birth-adoption-death-marriage-and-divorce/deaths/coroners-service/death-review-panel/extreme_heat_death_review_panel_report.pdf
[7] Clark, D. G., R. Ness, D. Coffman, D. Beugin. 2021. The Health Costs of Climate Change: How Canada Can Adapt, Prepare, and Save Lives. Canadian Institute for Climate Choices. https://climatechoices.ca/reports/The-he
[8] Canadian Medical Association. (2024). Insight: How extreme heat in Canada affects health and the health system. https://www.cma.ca/latest-stories/insight-how-extreme-heat-canada-affects-health-and-health-system
[9] Beugin, D., Clark, D., Miller, S., Ness, R., Pelai, R., & Wale, J. (2023, June). The case for adapting to extreme heat: Costs of the 2021 B.C. heat wave. https://climateinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/The-case-for-ada…
[10] Canadian Nurses Association (2024). Position Statement: Planetary Health https://cane-aiie.ca/CNA-Planetary -Health- position-statement_E.pdf
[11] Bell, M.L., Gasparrini, A., & Benjamin, G.C. (2024). Climate Change, extreme heat, and health. New England Journal of Medicine, 390 (19). https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra2210769
[12] City of Toronto (2024, Nov 22). Report for action: Establishing a framework to address excessive indoor temperatures in leased residential premises. https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2024/ph/bgrd/backgroundfile-250930…