Written By: Bob McIntyre
The effects of climate change on Northern Ontario are so far anecdotal speculation. So the seven health units in the region are collaborating on gathering research.
Porcupine Health Unit environmental health manager Suzanne Lajoie says the result will be a vulnerability report with recommendations on how to adapt.
“What we’re trying to develop at the end is some mitigation strategies and that kind of thing that we can take to municipalities and our public to say this is what we’re looking at and how can you respond?” she states.
Lajoie addresses one effect that is suspected, though not yet definitively proven.
“At one point we never saw the black legged tick in our area,” she observes. “All of a sudden, we are seeing it now. So the risk for Lyme Diseas, even though still remaining low, we still want the public to be aware how they can prevent any infections, that kind of thing.”
