Public service cuts putting Canadians at risk from climate disasters: union

OTTAWA — A federal union is arguing public service cuts are elevating the threats Canadians face from climate disasters.

The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada held a demonstration in downtown Ottawa on Wednesday to denounce cuts at Environment and Climate Change Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Natural Resources Canada.

The union says the employees affected by the cuts work on flood forecasting, turning satellite and geospatial data into emergency maps, monitoring wildfire smoke and air quality and studying threats to Canada’s forests.

The national wildland fire summary indicates around 700 fires are burning across Canada. Early estimates suggest wildfires raging in northern Ontario have made this wildfire season the province’s worst on record.

The federal government’s website says that between March 2025 and March 2026, the number of employees at Natural Resources Canada dropped by 418.

Over the same time period, the number of staff at Fisheries and Oceans Canada decreased by 583 while the number of staff at Environment and Climate Change Canada dropped by 593.

In a fact sheet handed out to reporters, the union said 66 positions have been eliminated at Natural Resources Canada climate programs and that 14 positions have been cut at the Geological Survey of Canada, which focuses on geoscientific information and research.

It also said the government shut down its national Weatheradio network in March and disbanded its severe weather radar research team.

Sean O’Reilly, president of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, said Wednesday the federal government is “reducing scientific capacity” even as it acknowledges climate change is making wildfires, floods and severe weather events more frequent and destructive.

“The government is telling Canadians to brace for two more years of cuts,” he said. “Canadians shouldn’t have to discover the consequences of these cuts during the next emergency. They deserve to understand those risks now.”

Bryan Van Wilgenburg, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, said cuts to scientific departments are causing confusion and chaos.

“We often don’t realize what kind of capacity that we’ve lost until we’ve lost it, and then we quickly need to scramble to fill in those gaps,” he said at the event. “There’s a lot of focus on that aspect of government right now, rather than the aspect of service delivery.”

Van Wilgenburg said he’s proud of the services that scientists provide to Canadians.

“I believe in the work that we do, so any reduction to funding represents a diminishment of our capacity to provide those services,” he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 5, 2026.

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press