FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

June 4, 2026

 

Following an urgent Elbows Up for Climate Summit, mayors and councillors call for immediate, job-creating federal climate action: “We need federal leadership on climate, not delay and backsliding”

(Edmonton, AB) – An alliance of nearly 300 mayors, councillors and local elected leaders representing more than half of all Canadians, held an urgent climate summit today and issued a powerful joint statement (see below) to put climate back on the national agenda. They called for massive federal investments in clean projects that cut pollution and strengthen the economy ahead of an expected intense wildfire season. 

The leaders also launched a 2026 Climate Impacts Map to live-track disasters across the country this summer, and released a report showing that climate change is already costing Canada a staggering 1 to 5% of GDP.

Municipal leaders sound the alarm with an urgent joint statement

The municipal leaders made the announcement after holding an urgent closed-door climate summit today ahead of an expected intense wildfire season. They issued a powerful joint statement to acknowledge the growing costs and crisis of climate impacts across Canada, and to put climate back on the national agenda with demands for national projects that create jobs and cut pollution.

“More Canadian communities are likely to burn to the ground this summer as senior orders of government appear ready to double down on fossil fuel expansion. Even as other national governments are committing to getting their citizens off the carbon-fueled rollercoaster by investing in renewables and resilience, in Canada we continue pouring gasoline on our wildfires. Public subsidies for an industry already making multi-billion dollar profits adds only pathos to tragedy,” said Richard Ireland, mayor of Jasper, AB, whose small town was decimated in 2024 in one of the most expensive natural disasters in Canadian history. “We need federal leadership on climate, not delay and backsliding.”

“More communities are likely to burn to the ground this summer as the Prime Minister doubles down on fossil fuel expansion. While other countries are getting off the oil and gas rollercoaster by investing in renewables and resilience, we are pouring gasoline on our wildfires with public subsidies for an industry already making multi-billion dollar profits.” said Richard Ireland, mayor of Jasper, AB, whose town was decimated in one of the most expensive natural disasters in Canadian history in 2024. “We need federal leadership on climate, not backsliding.”

New map makes climate disasters impossible to ignore

The group also launched the 2026 Climate Impacts Map to live-track climate disasters as they unfold over the summer, and revealed that as of the end of May, nearly 7.6 million (or 1 in 5) people in Canada have already experienced extreme weather events this year.

“It’s been one emergency after another for years in the North. As municipal leaders we are the ones taking on these threats to our communities’ health, economies and safety,” said Ben Hendriksen, mayor of Yellowknife, NWT. “This map is about making these impacts visible and undeniable so that the federal government will be forced to take serious action.”

The leaders called for immediate federal action to reverse course on fossil fuel expansion, and highlighted their five key demands for federal policies that could create millions of Canadian jobs and help protect the country from economic shocks: 

1. A national East-West-North clean electric grid, powered by renewable energy not fossil gas, to make Canada a clean energy super power;
2. At least two million non-market homes that are zero polluting, efficient and built to the highest standards, with Canadian steel, aluminum and lumber; 
3. Home retrofits and mass heat pump and solar installations across the country to cut energy bills and pollution, and spur economic activity in every community;
4. A clean transportation system with a national high-speed rail network, extended with Canadian-made electric buses and reversing federal cuts to local transit;
5. A national resilience, response and recovery strategy to rebuild from the disasters to come, funded by a new tax on excess oil and gas profits from the Iran war. 

“The policy ideas we’re proposing are popular and achievable,” said David Miller, former mayor of Toronto and Elbows Up for Climate co-chair. “Most Canadians believe the country would be safer if we produced more renewable energy, two-thirds favour developing clean energy over fossil fuels— and two thirds of Canadians support an excess profits tax on oil and gas companies that could pay for massive amounts of climate-friendly infrastructure. There are significant majorities that the government should be listening to.”

New report counts climate costs: up to 5% of GDP

The group also released a new report that estimates climate change is costing the Canadian economy a stunning 1-5% of GDP, with financial impacts slated to grow in years to come. Climate-driven impacts have added $8.8 billion per year to the cost of maintaining roads, bridges, wastewater systems and other public infrastructure across the country, with two thirds of the costs falling on municipalities.

“Mark Carney has told his critics that he wants to hear what they’re for, not what we’re against, so here it is: municipal leaders want nation-building, not nation-burning projects,” said Merlin Blackwell, mayor of Clearwater, BC. “My town has been assessed number one in Canada to suffer a catastrophic wildfire in the near future—this is what keeps me up at night. But we can protect our communities and build a strong economy through investments in wind, solar, and sustainable hydro. Life can be good with a truly national electricity grid—powered by renewable energy, not fossil fuels like LNG.”

About Elbows Up for Climate

Elbows Up for Climate is a national alliance of nearly 300 mayors and councillors representing more than half of all Canadians. They are advocating for clean nation-building projects that protect Canada from the dual crises of climate breakdown and economic instability, and make our communities safer, more affordable and prosperous. We have partnered with Climate Caucus, a national non-profit supporting local elected leaders to enact climate policy in their communities and advocate across all orders of government.

Media contact Alexander Walsh COPTICOM, Strategy & Public Relations 514-601-2073 awalsh@copticom.ca

Local contact on-site Serena Mah 780-982-5058 serena@serenamah.com

Joint Statement by mayors, councillors and local elected leaders across Canada at the June 4 Elbows up for Climate Summit

June 4, 2026

Edmonton, Alberta 

Today, members of Elbows Up for Climate—a growing alliance of nearly 300 mayors and councillors representing more than half of all Canadians—hosted an urgent Climate Summit in Edmonton, Alberta, ahead of another devastating wildfire season to discuss how to protect their communities from fossil-fueled disasters and economic shocks. They issued the following joint statement after their deliberations. Additional signatures will be added throughout the Summit.

Exhaustion. Fear. Frustration. Worry. Anger. These are just a few of the emotions that we, as municipal leaders, and our residents are feeling as our communities experience wave after wave of climate disasters—with no end in sight. 

Drought in the B.C. interior. Flooding across northeastern Ontario and western Quebec. Heat warnings in Nova Scotia. Out-of-control wildfires in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

This is a snapshot of the climate disasters that have swept across our country in the first five months of 2026 alone, impacting a staggering 1 in 5 Canadians—as we brace for another season of wildfires, deadly smoke, heat waves and floods.

As municipal leaders from every region of this country, we have a message for the Prime Minister: Our local communities and economies are burning. We need federal leadership on climate, not backsliding. 

The current government appears to understand climate change as a distant problem, to be addressed at some point in an undefined future.

But communities across this country are living a different reality. Climate change is part of our daily reality: toxic air, water shortages, harrowing evacuations and mass displacement. It’s costing us an extra $8.8 billion to rebuild our roads, bridges, wastewater systems and infrastructure each year. Two-thirds of these costs are falling on our municipal budgets, making life even more expensive for our residents, on top of rising energy costs and gas prices.

We can’t keep rebuilding after the fires, floods, storms and droughts. We need to prevent them in the first place. Our way of life as Canadians depends on the well-being of our land, water, air and communities.

That’s why we are calling on the federal government to urgently invest in nation-building not nation-burning projects that lower household bills, create hundreds of thousands of jobs, and safeguard our communities: 

1. A national East-West-North clean electric grid, powered by renewable energy not fossil gas, to make Canada a clean energy super power and secure our energy sovereignty;
2. At least two million non-market homes that are zero polluting, efficient and built to the highest standards, creating more affordable, transit-linked communities; 
3. Retrofits and mass heat pump and solar installations across the country, that will cut energy bills and pollution, and spur economic activity in every community;
4. A clean transportation system with a national high-speed rail network, extended with Canadian-made electric buses connected to local transit; it begins by reversing cuts to federal transit funding, and scaling up investments;
5. A national resilience, response and recovery strategy to rebuild from the disasters already baked in, funded by a tax on excess oil and gas profits from the war in Iran. This follows the lead of our European Union allies and ensures polluters pay for the damages caused by their activities, and could generate up to $46 billion in revenue.

We are asking the federal government to stand with us: to reject fossil fuel projects that divide us, and get to work on practical and popular projects that won’t burn down our country – but build us up, Canada Strong.

Signatures

• Vivian Birch-Jones, Regional Director, Lillooet, BC
• Merlin Blackwell, Mayor, Clearwater, BC
• Phil Brennan, Councillor, Township of Severn, ON
• Sue Cairns, Councillor, Kimberley, BC
• William Cole-Hamilton, Courtenay, BC
• Leila Copti, Conseillère et mairesse suppléante, Val-des-Lacs, QC
• Spencer Coyne, Mayor, Princeton, BC
• Catherine Craig-St-Louis, Conseillère, Gatineau, QC
• Mike Derbyshire, Councillor, Strathcona County, AB
• Justine Gabias, Regional Director, Sunshine Coast Regional District, BC
• Joe Gowing, Councillor, Region of Waterloo, ON
• Wendy Hall, Councillor, Jasper, AB
• Bob Hawkesworth, Former Councillor, Calgary, AB
• Ben Hendriksen, Mayor, Yellowknife, NWT
• Richard Ireland, Mayor, Jasper, AB
• Michael Janz, Councillor, Edmonton, AB
• Susan Kim, Councillor, Victoria, BC
• Rawlson King, Councillor, Ottawa, ON
• Gerry Leibel, Councillor, District of Kitimat, BC
• Leah Main, Councillor, Silverton, BC
• Jessica Mcilroy, Councillor, North Vancouver, BC
• Jenn Meilleur, Councillor, Comox, BC
• David Miller, former Mayor, Toronto, ON
• Lenore Morris, Councillor, Whitehorse, YK
• Joy-Anne Murphy, Councillor, Camrose, AB
• Jasmin Parker, Councillor, Saskatoon, SK
• Leslie Payne, Councillor, Nelson, BC
• Philip Penrod, Councillor, Beaumont, AB
• Chris Pettingill, Councillor, District of Squamish, BC
• Valérie Plante, former Mayor, Montreal, QC
• Sherri Rollins, Councillor, Winnipeg, MB
• Ashley Salvador, Councillor, Edmonton, AB
• Dianne Saxe, Councillor, Toronto, ON
• Wayne Stetski, Councillor, Cranbrook, BC
• Anne Stevenson, Councillor, Edmonton, AB
• Keren Tang, Councillor, Edmonton AB
• Dave Thompson, Councillor, Victoria, BC
• Pat Warren, Councillor, Kawartha Lakes, ON
• David West, Mayor, Richmond Hill, ON
• Pamela Wolf, Councillor, Waterloo, ON
• Jesse Wright, Councilor, District of Mackenzie, BC
• Shanon Zachidniak, Councillor, Regina, MB

QUICK FACTS:

Majority of Canadians want climate action, investments in clean energy:

• Two-thirds of Canadians (66%) favour developing clean energy over fossil fuels, while 85% want to maintain or increase federal climate action, including 72% in Alberta. (June 2025, Abacus Data)
• 75% of Canadians worry about climate’s impact on future generations, and 70% would be proud of Canada becoming a renewable energy superpower, including 56% in Alberta. (Sept. 2025, Abacus Data and Re.Climate)
• A majority of Canadians believe Canada would be safer if it produced more renewable energy (59%), and a majority say transitioning away from fossil fuels toward renewable energy is more important than ever (58%), in light of U.S, aggression towards other countries. (Feb. 2026, Opinium)

Canada being left behind as clean energy costs plummet:

• Cost of wind and solar power in Canada has dropped by 50%, and will continue to. Renewables are now the cheapest form of new energy generation. (Jan. 2026, Pembina Institute)
• In England, developers will soon be required to install solar panels and heat pumps in all new homes as part of updated planning requirements published by the government; it also announced plug-in panels that homeowners can self-install on balconies would be available in supermarkets in the coming months. (March 2026, BBC)

Majority of Canadians support an excess profits tax on oil and gas companies:

• Two third of Canadians (66%) support an excess profits tax, with revenues used to help households lower their energy bills. (May 2026, Liaison Stratégies)

• $46 billion revenue from excess profits could cover the purchase and installation of four to five million heat pumps—more than enough to replace most home heating oil systems and gas furnaces in Canada. (April 2026, CCPA)

BACKGROUNDER

1. The Costs of Inaction for Canadian Communities: a new report prepared for Elbows Up for Climate by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

Climate action may have fallen down the political agenda in Canada, but the costs of climate change are rising faster than ever. This new report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives includes highlights such as:

• climate-driven impacts have added $8.8 billion per year to the cost of maintaining roads, bridges, wastewater systems and other public infrastructure across the country, with two thirds of the costs falling on municipalities;
• wildfire smoke is responsible for upwards of 2,000 premature deaths per year in Canada, with an associated economic loss of up to $18 billion per year;
• Over the past decade, 700,000 people in Canada have been forced from their homes on a temporary or permanent basis, mainly due to wildfires;
• According to the report, climate change is costing the Canadian economy $25 billion (conservative estimate) to $125 billion (upper bound estimate) per year, or about one to five per cent of GDP – and the impacts will only continue to rise. 

Read the full Cost of Inaction report (English)

French version (PDF)

1. Backgrounder: 2026 Climate Impacts Map

Since January 1, 2026, extreme weather events including flooding, wildfire, unsafe air quality, heat warnings, drought, and severe storms have struck 50 communities across Canada, from British Columbia to Newfoundland. Roughly 1 in 5 Canadians (or around 7.6 million people) have already been impacted by these events to date. The 2026 Community Climate Impacts Map will provide live updates throughout the summer on these events and the number of people in Canada impacted by them.

View the 2026 Climate Impacts Map here.

Why did we create the 2026 Community Climate Impacts Map?

In the summer of 2025, at least 200 of our communities—from Yellowknife to Fredericton and Kawartha Lakes to Montreal—experienced climate-related impacts. One in four Canadians—more than 15 million people—were faced with evacuations, unsafe air quality, extreme heat or severe storms in their communities. Nearly 40 non-Indigenous and 88 Indigenous communities were evacuated that summer.   

Members of the Elbows up for Climate alliance were shocked by these numbers, which also gained recognition in the House of Commons. They vowed to continue tracking climate impacts in 2026 and make the reality of climate impacts on Canadian communities unignorable for the federal government.  

Summary of communities impacted so far in 2026:

• April 18, 2026 Ontario flooding: Major flooding affected communities across northeastern Ontario, with several municipalities declaring local states of emergency, including West Nipissing, French River, Minden Hills, Chisholm, and Central Manitoulin.
• April 20, 2026 Quebec and Ontario river flooding: Communities along the Ottawa River and in western Quebec, including Gatineau and Fort-Coulonge, declared states of emergency as spring flooding accelerated.
• May 1, 2026 BC Interior drought: Penticton, Summerland, and Merritt all reached Stage 2 water restrictions, warning serious supply constraints.
• May 1, 2026 Vancouver water restrictions: Despite receiving more rainfall than almost anywhere else in the country, Vancouver is under Stage 2 water restrictions, reflecting pressures on water supply, demand, and aging infrastructure on the populated West Coast ( & a reminder that high precipitation does not insulate a community from water insecurity).
• May 7, 2026 Saskatchewan flooding: A major regional flood event overwhelmed dozens of rural communities, most with populations between 300 and 1,000 residents. Multiple municipalities declared states of emergency simultaneously. Many of these towns do not have large emergency management budgets, backup infrastructure, or the administrative depth to absorb a major flood event. Some of these towns were also impacted by the wildfires the previous season, making this year’s flood conditions worse. 
• May 19, 2026 Heat warnings: Heat warnings were issued in Nova Scotia and across multiple major cities in Ontario, including Toronto, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Markham, Mississauga, and Brampton.

Methodology:
Climate event data was collected Canada-wide covering the period January 1 to May 27, 2026. Alert and monitoring platforms (Alertable, ArcGIS, and provincial drought monitoring maps) were reviewed alongside regional and municipal government websites. Local news sources including CBC, Global News, and CTV were searched by region using keywords such as “evacuation,” “flood,” “heat warning,” “drought,” and “severe weather.” Events were coded by disaster type into a standardized Google Sheet across nine categories, with population figures drawn from Statistics Canada’s 2021 Census.