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Canada Systems Risk and Resilience Report 2026

The State of Canada’s Interdependent Systems

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Choose A4 or Letter in the print dialog; running heads and page numbers are added in print. This is a review copy: the signed PDF with its DOI is issued at release.

ReportsCAN

Country Systems Risk and Resilience

Canada 2026

The State of Canada’s Interdependent Systems

Baseline Edition 2026NR-COUNTRY-CAN-2026-BASELINEGCRI for the Nexus Consortium

Imprint

Editor
Saeed Valadbaygi, Chief Steward and Managing Editor, the Global Centre for Risk and Innovation (GCRI)
Publisher of record
The Global Centre for Risk and Innovation (GCRI) for the Nexus Consortium, Toronto
Report number
NR-COUNTRY-CAN-2026-BASELINE
Evidence close
30 September 2026, cut NQ-CAN-2026-Q0-1
Status
Draft under stewardship review; not yet released
DOI and UNI
Issued at deposit
Licence
CC BY 4.0 for Nexus-authored text, tables and figures; third-party material keeps its own licence
Cite as
Valadbaygi, S. (Ed.). (2026). Canada Systems Risk and Resilience Report 2026: The State of Canada’s Interdependent Systems (Baseline Edition 2026, Report No. NR-COUNTRY-CAN-2026-BASELINE) [Draft under review]. The Global Centre for Risk and Innovation (GCRI). https://therisk.global/nexus-reports/editions/can/

Contents

  1. ·

    Executive summary

  2. 1

    Chapter 1. Canada’s risk is coupled, not cumulative

  3. 2

    Chapter 2. Key findings

  4. 3

    Chapter 3. Systems and sectors at baseline

  5. 4

    Chapter 4. Risks and capability

  6. 5

    Chapter 5. Western heat, drought and fire year

  7. 6

    Chapter 6. Lenses and readings

  8. 7

    Chapter 7. The 2027 agenda

  9. 8

    Chapter 8. Systems in depth

  10. A

    Annex A. Methodology

  11. B

    Annex B. Data appendix

  12. C

    Annex C. References and record

Executive summary

The edition on a few pages: the abstract, the key messages, the headline finding and what each steward reads in it.

5 min read1 figure0 tables18 notesNR-COUNTRY-CAN-2026-BASELINE

S.1Abstract

Canada enters 2027 with electricity that is largely non-emitting, an oil and gas sector that still produced 30% of national emissions in 2024, a freshwater endowment that is vast in total but thin where people live, and a hazard regime in which wildfire, hail, flood and ice storms now set the pace of losses. National emissions were 685 Mt CO₂e in 2024, 10.3% below 2005 and almost unchanged on 20231. Insured catastrophe losses reached a record C$9.1 billion in 2024, then C$2.4 billion in 2025, a year with 17 declared catastrophes2. This Baseline Edition fixes the reference state for Canada’s water, energy, food, health and biodiversity systems, maps the dependencies through which shocks travel between them, and sets the questions the first operational edition will answer with Foundry evidence in Q1 2027. It ranks nothing and decides nothing. It establishes where the evidence stands, what remains uncertain and what to watch.

S.2Key messages

The eight questions this edition answers, each with its status and source.

  1. 685 Mt CO₂e in 2024, 10.3% below 2005, and 227–265 Mt above the 2030 target range.1

    Where do emissions stand?Reported

  2. Insured severe-weather losses rose from C$14 billion (2006–2015) to C$37 billion (2016–2025); 2024 set the record at C$9.1 billion.24

    Are disaster losses rising?Reported

  3. Insurance has covered about 54% of societal catastrophe losses over 43 years; households, businesses and governments carry the rest.3

    Who bears the losses?Reported

  4. Heat, drought and fire together, through hydro supply, heat and smoke health loads, crop yields and rail operations.61020

    Which hazard couples the most systems?Inferred

  5. About 60% of generation is hydro, so a multi-year drought is an energy-security risk, not only a water one.9

    How dependent is electricity on water?Inferred

  6. 13.7% of land and 14.7% of marine territory conserved in 2023, against 30% by 2030.713

    Where is the nature gap?Reported

  7. Trade with the United States, which takes about three-quarters of goods exports; the 2026 CUSMA joint review sets the 2027 path.1235

    What is the main economic shock channel?Inferred

  8. The Western Canada compound pathway: heat and drought through hydro, smoke and rail into health and food logistics. SCN-CAN-HDF-01

    What will Q1 2027 test first?Expert input

S.3Headline finding

ReportedEQL 3NRF-COUNTRY-CAN-2026-BASELINE-FIN-003

Insurance has covered about 54% of societal catastrophe losses in Canada over 43 years; in 2025, C$1.0 billion of C$3.4 billion in societal losses was uninsured.

Figure S.1Societal catastrophe losses, 2025 (C$ billion)
ItemBar, scaled to the largest valueValue
Insured2.4
Uninsured1.0

Sources: CatIQ2; ICLR3.

Where cover is thin, overland flood in high-risk areas, wildfire at the urban edge, and much public infrastructure, losses move onto household balance sheets and into public budgets through disaster assistance. A rising loss trend with a steady uninsured share means a rising absolute burden on both322.

S.4At a glance

41.5million

population, 202511

8.79million km²

land area32

≈9%

of the world’s forests31

≈83%

electricity from non-emitting sources9

≈⅓

of world potash output30

12.4% GDP

health spending, 202421

S.5What each steward reads in it

GCRI · KEY T

Technical Truth

The evidence supports a coupled reading of Canadian risk.

GRF · KEY M

Public Meaning

For most Canadians risk arrives as a smoke-filled summer, a flooded basement or a higher premium.

GRA · KEY F

Capital Meaning

Readiness implications only. A persistent protection gap, climate-risk supervision for federally regulated institutions and scenario practice already piloted with the central bank show where finance-readiness evidence will be needed.

NEXUS

Synthesis

Canada’s baseline is strong in observation and thin in tested cross-system capability.

S.6What this edition is, and is not

What this edition is

A baseline: the state of Canada’s water, energy, food, health and biodiversity systems in 2026, the dependencies that connect them, the risks that travel through them and the capabilities that hold them. It sets out the questions the operational series will answer.

What it is not

Not a national risk assessment, an official warning or a rating. It decides nothing about any institution or asset. Competent authorities keep every mandate they hold, and national ownership of the series is unaffected.

What comes next

Q1 2027 opens the operational series with a sealed Foundry evidence cut. Each later edition reports what changed against this baseline, new observations, source revisions, method changes, scenario updates and corrections.

Notes

Numbers are the edition’s reference numbers, so a note reads the same in every chapter. The full list, with every source and its licence, is in Annex C. Annex C, references

  1. 1Environment and Climate Change Canada (ed.), National Inventory Report 1990–2024: Greenhouse Gas Sources and Sinks in Canada. Canada’s submission to the UNFCCC, 2026 edition. ECCC, Gatineau, April 2026.back
  2. 2CatIQ (ed.), Canadian insured losses from catastrophic events: 2025 annual summary. Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc., Toronto, January 2026.back
  3. 4Insurance Bureau of Canada (ed.), “Severe weather-related insured losses in Canada exceed $2.4 billion in 2025.” IBC, Toronto, January 2026.back
  4. 3Institute for Catastrophe Loss Reduction (ed.), Societal losses from catastrophic events in Canada: 2025 estimates. ICLR, Toronto, 2026.back
  5. 6BC Coroners Service (ed.), Extreme Heat and Human Mortality: A Review of Heat-Related Deaths in B.C. in Summer 2021. Government of British Columbia, Victoria, 2022.back
  6. 10Natural Resources Canada (ed.), Canada’s record-breaking 2023 wildfire season. Canadian Forest Service, Ottawa, 2024.back
  7. 20Statistics Canada (ed.), “Production of principal field crops, November 2021.” The Daily, Ottawa, December 2021.back
  8. 9Natural Resources Canada (ed.), Energy Fact Book 2024–2025. NRCan, Ottawa, 2024.back
  9. 7Environment and Climate Change Canada (ed.), Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators: Canada’s conserved areas. ECCC, Gatineau, 2024.back
  10. 13Convention on Biological Diversity (ed.), Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, Decision 15/4. CBD Secretariat, Montreal, 2022.back
  11. 12Statistics Canada (ed.), “Canadian international merchandise trade: annual review 2024.” The Daily, Ottawa, 2025.back
  12. 35Global Affairs Canada (ed.), “Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement (CUSMA): joint review.” GAC, Ottawa, retrieved 2026-09-30.back
  13. 22Public Safety Canada (ed.), Adapting to Rising Flood Risk: An Analysis of Insurance Solutions for Canada. Report of the Task Force on Flood Insurance and Relocation. Ottawa, 2022.back
  14. 11Statistics Canada (ed.), “Canada’s population estimates, first quarter 2025.” The Daily, Ottawa, March 2025.back
  15. 32Statistics Canada (ed.), Census of Population, 2021. Statistics Canada, Ottawa, 2022.back
  16. 31Natural Resources Canada (ed.), The State of Canada’s Forests: Annual Report 2024. Canadian Forest Service, Ottawa, 2024.back
  17. 30U.S. Geological Survey (ed.), Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025. USGS, Reston, VA, 2025.back
  18. 21Canadian Institute for Health Information (ed.), National Health Expenditure Trends, 2024. CIHI, Ottawa, 2024.back

Canada’s risk is coupled, not cumulative

Part I describes systems and their couplings. It assesses no authority and ranks no province or territory.

7 min read2 figures2 tables14 notesNR-COUNTRY-CAN-2026-BASELINE

1.1The questions this part answers

Key questions

  • Where is Canada’s risk concentrated, and in which systems?
  • Which couplings carry shocks from one system to the next?
  • Which capabilities hold under compound stress, and which are only documented?
  • What must the 2027 programme measure first?

In this part

  • Narrative
  • Headline finding
  • Lead figure
  • Twelve-domain reading
  • Sector screens
  • Dependency matrix
  • Risk objects
  • Capability ladder
  • Scenario
  • Three lenses
  • Portfolio

1.2The argument

Canada’s exposure is usually described one hazard at a time: a wildfire season, a flood, a heat wave, a drought. This baseline reads the record the other way round. The events that set the loss record in 2024, the Calgary hailstorm, the floods left by the remnants of Hurricane Debby in Quebec, the Jasper wildfire and the flash floods in the Greater Toronto Area, struck different systems in the same summer, and drew on the same insurers, emergency services and public budgets429.

Insured catastrophe losses reached C$9.1 billion in 2024, then fell to C$2.4 billion in 2025. The lower total hides a busier year: seventeen catastrophes were declared, tying the second-highest count on record, and 2025 ranked first for fire catastrophes2. Frequency, more than any single severe event, now drives the record. Over the past decade insured severe-weather losses totalled C$37 billion, against C$14 billion in the decade before4.

The losses are unevenly carried. Over forty-three years insurance has covered about 54% of societal catastrophe losses; the remainder falls on households, businesses and governments, and the long-run loss trend is rising by about 9% a year after inflation3. For flood, the federal task force on flood insurance found that the households most at risk were often the least able to find affordable cover22.

Beneath the losses sits a forcing layer that moves faster than the global average. Canada warmed by about 1.7 °C between 1948 and 2016, roughly twice the global rate, and the North by more5. The 2021 heat dome killed 619 people in British Columbia, the deadliest weather event in the country’s history6. The 2023 fire season burned more than 15 million hectares and emptied almost all of Yellowknife10.

These hazards do not stay in their sector. About 60% of Canada’s electricity is hydro, so a dry year is an energy event9. The 2021 drought and heat cut Prairie canola output by about a third and wheat by more20. Smoke turns a fire season into a public-health season in cities far from the flames18, and the corridors that carry grain, potash and energy to market cross terrain that burns and floods23.

This edition therefore treats risk as a property of the couplings between systems rather than a list of hazards. The dependency matrix, the risk objects, the capability ladder and the compound scenario that follow all ask the same two questions: where does a shock travel next, and who holds the capability to stop it?

Figure 1.1Where do Canada’s emissions come from? National GHG emissions by sector, 2024 (Mt CO₂e)

Oil and gas and transport together account for more than half of national emissions (52%). Electricity, already largely non-emitting, is the smallest of the named sectors; buildings, heavy industry and waste make up most of the remainder1.

ItemBar, scaled to the largest valueValue
Oil and gas208
Transport151
Agriculture70
Electricity50
All other sectors206

Source: as cited in the note to this figure. Year 2024.

Figure ID FIG-COUNTRY-CAN-2026-BASELINE-01-003

105Mt CO₂e

methane, 2024, lowest on record1

30%

oil and gas share of the national total1

16.6t CO₂e

emissions per person, 202438

−48%

emissions per unit of GDP since 199038

1.3Twenty couplings between five systems

The Canada matrix types the twenty couplings between the five core systems. Strengths are Nexus estimates from the cited evidence and analogue events; they set the starting graph that the Q1 2027 Foundry cut will test.

Figure 1.2Couplings between the five systems

Each line is one coupling from one system to another, drawn by the strength the edition assigns. Strengths are Nexus estimates from the cited evidence and analogue events.

  • Strong
  • Moderate
  • Weak

Source: this edition’s coupling matrix (Table 1.1); status Estimated.

Table 1.1Coupling matrix: from the row system to the column system
From, toWATENEFOOHLTBIO
WAT Water·STRONG
hydro supply
STRONG
irrigation · rain-fed yield
MODERATE
drinking water
STRONG
flows · wetlands
ENE EnergyMODERATE
pumping · treatment
·STRONG
fuel · fertiliser · cold chain
STRONG
facility power · cooling
MODERATE
reservoirs · land use
FOO FoodMODERATE
withdrawals · nutrients
WEAK
biofuel feedstock
·STRONG
nutrition · food safety
STRONG
land conversion
HLT HealthWEAK
workforce
WEAK
workforce
MODERATE
labour · disease
·WEAK
residues
BIO BiodiversitySTRONG
regulation · filtration
MODERATE
fire on lines · biomass
STRONG
pollination · soils
MODERATE
zoonoses · smoke
·
Strength: strong, moderate or weak; a Nexus estimate (status Estimated) from cited evidence and analogue events. The scale is defined in Annex A.

Transmission paths

  1. 01

    WAT → ENE → HLT

    A dry year cuts hydro; heat raises peak demand; care settings need power and cooling.

    Inferred 2021 heat dome

  2. 02

    CLI → BIO → HLT

    A fire season sends smoke over distant cities for weeks.

    Reported 2023 fire season

  3. 03

    WAT → FOO → TRD

    Drought cuts yields and export volumes.

    Reported 2021 Prairie drought

  4. 04

    CLI → INF → FOO

    Flood or fire cuts rail links to ports.

    Inferred 2021 BC floods

  5. 05

    ENE → FOO

    Fuel and fertiliser costs pass into food prices.

    Inferred 2022 price shock

1.4Reinforcing loops

A shock entering either system of a loop can return amplified through the other.

Table 1.2Pairs of systems where both directions are rated strong
LoopFirst directionSecond direction
WAT and BIOWater to biodiversity: flows · wetlandsBiodiversity to water: regulation · filtration
FOO and BIOFood to biodiversity: land conversionBiodiversity to food: pollination · soils
A causal-loop reading of the matrix (Sterman, Business Dynamics, 2000): structural, from estimated strengths, not a measured feedback.

Notes

Numbers are the edition’s reference numbers, so a note reads the same in every chapter. The full list, with every source and its licence, is in Annex C. Annex C, references

  1. 4Insurance Bureau of Canada (ed.), “Severe weather-related insured losses in Canada exceed $2.4 billion in 2025.” IBC, Toronto, January 2026.back
  2. 29Insurance Bureau of Canada (ed.), “Insured losses from Calgary hailstorm reach $3.25 billion.” IBC, Toronto, February 2025.back
  3. 2CatIQ (ed.), Canadian insured losses from catastrophic events: 2025 annual summary. Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc., Toronto, January 2026.back
  4. 3Institute for Catastrophe Loss Reduction (ed.), Societal losses from catastrophic events in Canada: 2025 estimates. ICLR, Toronto, 2026.back
  5. 22Public Safety Canada (ed.), Adapting to Rising Flood Risk: An Analysis of Insurance Solutions for Canada. Report of the Task Force on Flood Insurance and Relocation. Ottawa, 2022.back
  6. 5E. Bush and D. S. Lemmen (eds.), Canada’s Changing Climate Report. Government of Canada, Ottawa, 2019.back
  7. 6BC Coroners Service (ed.), Extreme Heat and Human Mortality: A Review of Heat-Related Deaths in B.C. in Summer 2021. Government of British Columbia, Victoria, 2022.back
  8. 10Natural Resources Canada (ed.), Canada’s record-breaking 2023 wildfire season. Canadian Forest Service, Ottawa, 2024.back
  9. 9Natural Resources Canada (ed.), Energy Fact Book 2024–2025. NRCan, Ottawa, 2024.back
  10. 20Statistics Canada (ed.), “Production of principal field crops, November 2021.” The Daily, Ottawa, December 2021.back
  11. 18P. Berry and R. Schnitter (eds.), Health of Canadians in a Changing Climate: Advancing our Knowledge for Action. Government of Canada, Ottawa, 2022.back
  12. 23Transport Canada (ed.), Action. Collaboration. Transformation. Final report of the National Supply Chain Task Force. Ottawa, 2022.back
  13. 1Environment and Climate Change Canada (ed.), National Inventory Report 1990–2024: Greenhouse Gas Sources and Sinks in Canada. Canada’s submission to the UNFCCC, 2026 edition. ECCC, Gatineau, April 2026.back
  14. 38Environment and Climate Change Canada (ed.), Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators: Greenhouse gas emissions. ECCC, Gatineau, 2026.back

Key findings

Twelve findings carry the baseline. They are grouped by system, never ranked. Each resolves to its source or, where Nexus analysis is involved, to its stated method.

3 min read1 figure0 tables12 notesNR-COUNTRY-CAN-2026-BASELINE

2.1Headline finding

ReportedEQL 3NRF-COUNTRY-CAN-2026-BASELINE-FIN-003

Insurance has covered about 54% of societal catastrophe losses in Canada over 43 years; in 2025, C$1.0 billion of C$3.4 billion in societal losses was uninsured.

Figure 2.1Societal catastrophe losses, 2025 (C$ billion)
ItemBar, scaled to the largest valueValue
Insured2.4
Uninsured1.0

Sources: CatIQ2; ICLR3.

Implication

Where cover is thin, overland flood in high-risk areas, wildfire at the urban edge, and much public infrastructure, losses move onto household balance sheets and into public budgets through disaster assistance. A rising loss trend with a steady uninsured share means a rising absolute burden on both322.

What would move it

Provincial loss splits (agenda item A-03), the design of a national flood insurance arrangement, and the 2026 and 2027 loss years would each move this finding.

2.2Climate forcing

  1. ReportedEQL 5NRF-COUNTRY-CAN-2026-BASELINE-CLI-001

    National GHG emissions were 685 Mt CO₂e in 2024: 10.3% below 2005 and 0.3% below 2023.1

  2. ReportedEQL 5NRF-COUNTRY-CAN-2026-BASELINE-CLI-007

    Canada has warmed at about twice the global rate (1.7 °C, 1948–2016), and northern Canada faster still.5

  3. ReportedEQL 4NRF-COUNTRY-CAN-2026-BASELINE-CLI-010

    The 2023 wildfire season burned more than 15 million hectares, the largest on record, and 2025 led the record for fire catastrophes declared.102

2.3Finance

  1. ReportedEQL 4NRF-COUNTRY-CAN-2026-BASELINE-FIN-002

    Insured catastrophe losses reached a record C$9.1 billion in 2024, then C$2.4 billion in 2025, with 17 catastrophes declared.2

  2. ReportedEQL 3NRF-COUNTRY-CAN-2026-BASELINE-FIN-003

    Insurance has covered about 54% of societal catastrophe losses over 43 years; the long-run loss trend is rising by about 9% a year after inflation.3

2.4Energy

  1. ReportedEQL 5NRF-COUNTRY-CAN-2026-BASELINE-ENE-004

    Oil and gas remained the largest emitting sector (208 Mt, 30%, up 1.8%), while methane fell to its lowest level on record (105 Mt CO₂e).1

  2. InferredEQL 3NRF-COUNTRY-CAN-2026-BASELINE-ENE-005

    Electricity emitted 50 Mt CO₂e (7.2%). Hydro’s dominance makes multi-year drought a direct risk to supply and to exports.19

2.5Water

  1. ReportedEQL 4NRF-COUNTRY-CAN-2026-BASELINE-WAT-006

    Canada holds about 7% of the world’s renewable freshwater; most of it drains north, away from population and agriculture.8

2.6Health

  1. ReportedEQL 4NRF-COUNTRY-CAN-2026-BASELINE-HLT-008

    The 2021 heat dome caused 619 heat-related deaths in British Columbia, establishing heat as a first-order health–power coupling.6

2.7Biodiversity

  1. ReportedEQL 4NRF-COUNTRY-CAN-2026-BASELINE-BIO-009

    Protected and conserved areas covered 13.7% of land and 14.7% of marine territory in 2023, against a 30% target for 2030.713

2.8Trade

  1. InferredEQL 3NRF-COUNTRY-CAN-2026-BASELINE-TRD-011

    About three-quarters of goods exports go to the United States, so trade policy is the main channel for economic shocks in 2026–2027.12

2.9Systemic

  1. Expert inputEQL 2NRF-COUNTRY-CAN-2026-BASELINE-SYS-012

    The leading compound pathway for 2027 testing runs from heat and drought through hydro shortfall, wildfire smoke and rail disruption into health and food logistics in Western Canada. §9.3

Notes

Numbers are the edition’s reference numbers, so a note reads the same in every chapter. The full list, with every source and its licence, is in Annex C. Annex C, references

  1. 2CatIQ (ed.), Canadian insured losses from catastrophic events: 2025 annual summary. Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc., Toronto, January 2026.back
  2. 3Institute for Catastrophe Loss Reduction (ed.), Societal losses from catastrophic events in Canada: 2025 estimates. ICLR, Toronto, 2026.back
  3. 22Public Safety Canada (ed.), Adapting to Rising Flood Risk: An Analysis of Insurance Solutions for Canada. Report of the Task Force on Flood Insurance and Relocation. Ottawa, 2022.back
  4. 1Environment and Climate Change Canada (ed.), National Inventory Report 1990–2024: Greenhouse Gas Sources and Sinks in Canada. Canada’s submission to the UNFCCC, 2026 edition. ECCC, Gatineau, April 2026.back
  5. 5E. Bush and D. S. Lemmen (eds.), Canada’s Changing Climate Report. Government of Canada, Ottawa, 2019.back
  6. 10Natural Resources Canada (ed.), Canada’s record-breaking 2023 wildfire season. Canadian Forest Service, Ottawa, 2024.back
  7. 9Natural Resources Canada (ed.), Energy Fact Book 2024–2025. NRCan, Ottawa, 2024.back
  8. 8Environment and Climate Change Canada (ed.), “Water sources: water availability in Canada.” ECCC, Gatineau, retrieved 2026-09-30.back
  9. 6BC Coroners Service (ed.), Extreme Heat and Human Mortality: A Review of Heat-Related Deaths in B.C. in Summer 2021. Government of British Columbia, Victoria, 2022.back
  10. 7Environment and Climate Change Canada (ed.), Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators: Canada’s conserved areas. ECCC, Gatineau, 2024.back
  11. 13Convention on Biological Diversity (ed.), Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, Decision 15/4. CBD Secretariat, Montreal, 2022.back
  12. 12Statistics Canada (ed.), “Canadian international merchandise trade: annual review 2024.” The Daily, Ottawa, 2025.back

Systems and sectors at baseline

5 min read0 figures2 tables15 notesNR-COUNTRY-CAN-2026-BASELINE

3.1Where each system stood at evidence close

WAT · Water

Share of the world’s renewable freshwater

≈7%

Canada holds about a fifth of the world’s fresh surface water, but most of it flows north, away from where people live.

Reportedlong-run meanECCC8

ENE · Energy

Electricity-sector emissions

50Mt CO₂e

7.2% of the national total. Hydro’s share of generation makes drought an energy risk.

Reported2024NIR 20261

FOO · Food

Agriculture-sector emissions

70Mt CO₂e

10% of the national total; up 1.0% on 2023 with higher fertiliser use.

Reported2024NIR 20261

HLT · Health

Heat-related deaths, 2021 heat dome (BC)

619deaths

The deadliest weather event in Canadian history, and the reference case for heat–health–power coupling.

Reported2021BC Coroners6

BIO · Biodiversity

Land in protected and conserved areas

13.7%

Against the 30% by 2030 target of the Kunming-Montreal framework; marine share 14.7%.

Reported2023ECCC CESI7

SYS · Cross-system

Insured catastrophe losses

9.1 · 2.4C$ bn

2024 record, then 2025. Insurance covers about 54% of societal catastrophe losses.

Reported2024 · 2025CatIQ2 · ICLR3

3.2Domain posture

Each of the twelve coupled domains is read in words, not scored. The reading states where the baseline evidence points; the coupling column names the dependency that carries risk into other systems.

Table 3.1Each domain read in words, not scored
DomainPosture at baselineCouplingStatus
WATAbundant in total, scarce where people and farms are; drought on the Prairies and in southern British Columbia is the binding stress.WAT → ENE hydro · WAT → FOO irrigationInferred EQL 3
ENELow-emitting power; emissions concentrated in oil and gas; hydro output exposed to dry years.ENE ↔ WAT · ENE → FOO inputsReported EQL 4
FOOA major exporter of grains, oilseeds and potash; yields swing with Prairie drought.FOO ← WAT, ENE · FOO → TRDReported EQL 4
HLTHeat and smoke now load the health system each season; One Health signals include H5N1 in poultry and a domestic human case in 2024.HLT ← CLI, ENE, BIOReported EQL 3
BIOVast forest and freshwater ecosystems; conservation at about half of the 2030 target.BIO → WAT regulation · BIO ← fireReported EQL 4
CLIWarming at about twice the global rate; fire, heat, flood and ice storms set the loss record.forcing on all five systemsReported EQL 5
INFLong, thin corridors carry trade; gateways have shown capacity and continuity limits.INF → TRD, FOO, ENEInferred EQL 3
FINInsured losses rising; about 46% of societal losses uninsured; climate-risk supervision in place for federally regulated institutions.FIN ← CLI · FIN → households, provincesReported EQL 4
DATDigital and data dependencies of the five systems are not yet mapped at public-safe resolution.DAT → ENE, HLT, FINExpert input EQL 2
AICCompute and data-centre growth adds new electricity and water demand; national figures are not yet consolidated.AIC → ENE, WATExpert input EQL 2
MIN34 critical minerals listed; processing and refining capacity is the binding constraint.MIN → ENE transition · MIN ← TRDInferred EQL 3
TRDAbout three-quarters of goods exports go to the United States; the 2025 tariffs and the 2026 review set the channel.TRD → all sectorsReported EQL 4

3.3Sector screens

All sixteen sectors are screened on the same grammar, so that later editions can say what changed. The evidence column describes coverage of the baseline evidence, not the performance of the sector.

Table 3.2Sectors: baseline evidence and the exposure to watch
CodeSectorBaseline evidenceExposure to watchEvidence coverage
GS-00Cross-systemcoupled losses across perils; frequency risingcompound heat–drought–fire yearsPARTIAL
GS-01Waterlarge endowment, uneven access; long-term advisories persist on some First Nations systems28Prairie and southern BC droughtPARTIAL
GS-02Energyabout 60% hydro and 83% non-emitting power9dry years; peak demand in heat and coldGOOD
GS-03Food and agrifoodgrain, oilseed and potash exporter30drought yield shocks; rail and port continuityGOOD
GS-04Healthspending at 12.4% of GDP in 202421heat, smoke and zoonotic spillover27PARTIAL
GS-05Financeinsured losses rising; about 54% of losses covered3flood and wildfire insurabilityGOOD
GS-06Developmentservice gaps in remote and northern communitiesfuel, food and water supply to remote areasTHIN
GS-07Climatewarming at about twice the global rate5fire weather, heat, extreme rainfallGOOD
GS-08Disaster17 catastrophes declared in 20252concurrent events straining responseGOOD
GS-09Infrastructurelong, thin trade corridors23flood and fire on rail and road linksPARTIAL
GS-10Citiesgrowth concentrated in a few metropolitan regions32pluvial flooding; heat in dense neighbourhoodsPARTIAL
GS-11Biodiversity13.7% of land and 14.7% of marine areas conserved7fire, habitat loss, invasive speciesPARTIAL
GS-12Earth observationestablished national EO and monitoring programmesdata continuity and integrationPARTIAL
GS-13Cyber and digitaldependencies not yet mappedconcentration in networks and cloudTHIN
GS-14Policy and institutionsnational adaptation strategy adopted in 202317coordination across jurisdictionsPARTIAL
GS-15Science and engineeringdeep research basetranslation into operationsTHIN

Notes

Numbers are the edition’s reference numbers, so a note reads the same in every chapter. The full list, with every source and its licence, is in Annex C. Annex C, references

  1. 8Environment and Climate Change Canada (ed.), “Water sources: water availability in Canada.” ECCC, Gatineau, retrieved 2026-09-30.back
  2. 1Environment and Climate Change Canada (ed.), National Inventory Report 1990–2024: Greenhouse Gas Sources and Sinks in Canada. Canada’s submission to the UNFCCC, 2026 edition. ECCC, Gatineau, April 2026.back
  3. 6BC Coroners Service (ed.), Extreme Heat and Human Mortality: A Review of Heat-Related Deaths in B.C. in Summer 2021. Government of British Columbia, Victoria, 2022.back
  4. 7Environment and Climate Change Canada (ed.), Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators: Canada’s conserved areas. ECCC, Gatineau, 2024.back
  5. 2CatIQ (ed.), Canadian insured losses from catastrophic events: 2025 annual summary. Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc., Toronto, January 2026.back
  6. 3Institute for Catastrophe Loss Reduction (ed.), Societal losses from catastrophic events in Canada: 2025 estimates. ICLR, Toronto, 2026.back
  7. 28Indigenous Services Canada (ed.), “Ending long-term drinking water advisories.” ISC, Ottawa, retrieved 2026-09-30.back
  8. 9Natural Resources Canada (ed.), Energy Fact Book 2024–2025. NRCan, Ottawa, 2024.back
  9. 30U.S. Geological Survey (ed.), Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025. USGS, Reston, VA, 2025.back
  10. 21Canadian Institute for Health Information (ed.), National Health Expenditure Trends, 2024. CIHI, Ottawa, 2024.back
  11. 27Public Health Agency of Canada (ed.), “Avian influenza A(H5N1): current situation summary.” PHAC, Ottawa, retrieved 2026-09-30.back
  12. 5E. Bush and D. S. Lemmen (eds.), Canada’s Changing Climate Report. Government of Canada, Ottawa, 2019.back
  13. 23Transport Canada (ed.), Action. Collaboration. Transformation. Final report of the National Supply Chain Task Force. Ottawa, 2022.back
  14. 32Statistics Canada (ed.), Census of Population, 2021. Statistics Canada, Ottawa, 2022.back
  15. 17Environment and Climate Change Canada (ed.), Canada’s National Adaptation Strategy: Building Resilient Communities and a Strong Economy. ECCC, Gatineau, 2023.back

Risks and capability

Four risk objects open the portfolio. Order carries no rank. Each is read across driver, exposure, vulnerability, capacity, cascade and consequence; loss metrics are added only where they can be modelled.

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4.1Risk objects

Each risk is read across the chain from hazard to consequence, with its status and evidence-quality level.

  1. ReportedEQL 3RSK-CAN-CLI-001

    Compound wildfire, smoke and heat season

    Driver
    longer fire seasons; heat; drought
    Exposure
    communities at the wildland–urban edge; city populations under smoke
    Vulnerability
    older adults, outdoor workers, people with chronic illness; single-access towns
    Capacity
    interagency fire mutual aid; public alerting; clean-air spaces
    Cascade
    CLI → BIO → HLT → ENE cooling load
    Horizon
    seasonal · 1 and 5 years
  2. InferredEQL 3RSK-CAN-WAT-002

    Multi-year drought in western Canada

    Driver
    low snowpack; heat; low summer flows
    Exposure
    Prairie agriculture; western hydro; municipal supply
    Vulnerability
    rain-fed farms; reservoir-limited systems
    Capacity
    drought monitoring; crop insurance; interties and imports
    Cascade
    WAT → ENE → FOO → TRD
    Horizon
    1–3 years
  3. ReportedEQL 4RSK-CAN-CLI-003

    Pluvial and riverine flooding in cities and corridors

    Driver
    extreme rainfall; atmospheric rivers; snowmelt
    Exposure
    basements and networks in large cities; rail and road links
    Vulnerability
    older drainage; high-risk households with thin cover22
    Capacity
    flood mapping; disaster assistance; insurance
    Cascade
    CLI → INF → FOO, FIN
    Horizon
    annual
  4. InferredEQL 3RSK-CAN-TRD-004

    Trade-terms shock to integrated supply chains

    Driver
    tariffs; the 2026 CUSMA joint review35
    Exposure
    autos, steel and aluminium, energy, agri-food
    Vulnerability
    concentration of export markets12
    Capacity
    trade diversification; fiscal measures
    Cascade
    TRD → FIN → households
    Horizon
    1–5 years

4.2Capability ladder

Existence is not readiness. Each of the fifteen capability functions is placed on the ladder by the strongest public evidence at baseline, from a policy listing to performance in real events.

Table 4.1Capabilities on the ladder of evidence: listed, exists, demonstrated, tested
FunctionRungLevelStrongest public evidence at baseline
Prevention and mitigationEXISTScodes, flood mapping and land-use rules vary by province and municipality
Monitoring and observationDEMONSTRATEDnational hydrometric, weather, fire-weather and Earth-observation programmes in continuous use
Early warningDEMONSTRATEDwireless public alerting in use for real events since 201836
Preparedness and planningEXISTSa national risk profile published in 202316; provincial plans
Redundancy and reservesLISTEDreserve and redundancy policies are not consolidated nationally
ResponseDEMONSTRATEDinterprovincial and international wildfire mutual aid in 202333
Continuity of critical servicesEXISTSsector plans exist; tested continuity evidence is limited
RecoveryEXISTSfederal disaster financial assistance and provincial programmes
AdaptationEXISTSnational adaptation strategy adopted in 202317
Social protectionEXISTSincome-support systems in place; disaster-specific coverage uneven
Finance and insuranceEXISTSprivate cover for most perils; flood cover gap under federal study22
Institutional coordinationEXISTSfederal–provincial–territorial frameworks, tested event by event
Technical infrastructureEXISTScore public infrastructure condition varies widely by asset class34
WorkforceEXISTSemergency and health workforce pressures documented; surge depth unknown
Research capacityADEQUATEdeep national research base; translation into operations uneven
A capability listed in policy is not a tested one; each rung is the strongest public evidence at baseline.

Notes

Numbers are the edition’s reference numbers, so a note reads the same in every chapter. The full list, with every source and its licence, is in Annex C. Annex C, references

  1. 22Public Safety Canada (ed.), Adapting to Rising Flood Risk: An Analysis of Insurance Solutions for Canada. Report of the Task Force on Flood Insurance and Relocation. Ottawa, 2022.back
  2. 35Global Affairs Canada (ed.), “Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement (CUSMA): joint review.” GAC, Ottawa, retrieved 2026-09-30.back
  3. 12Statistics Canada (ed.), “Canadian international merchandise trade: annual review 2024.” The Daily, Ottawa, 2025.back
  4. 36Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (ed.), Telecom Regulatory Policy CRTC 2017-91: Implementation of the National Public Alerting System by wireless service providers. CRTC, Ottawa, 2017.back
  5. 16Public Safety Canada (ed.), National Risk Profile: A national emergency preparedness and awareness tool, first public report. Government of Canada, Ottawa, 2023.back
  6. 33Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (ed.), National wildland fire situation reports, 2023–2025. CIFFC, Winnipeg, retrieved 2026-09-30.back
  7. 17Environment and Climate Change Canada (ed.), Canada’s National Adaptation Strategy: Building Resilient Communities and a Strong Economy. ECCC, Gatineau, 2023.back
  8. 34Federation of Canadian Municipalities et al. (eds.), Canadian Infrastructure Report Card 2019: Monitoring the State of Canada’s Core Public Infrastructure. Ottawa, 2019.back

Western heat, drought and fire year

A conditional statement under stated assumptions, never a prediction.

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5.1Assumptions

Scenario SCN-CAN-HDF-01: what is assumed, and what is held constant.

Baseline
the 2026 reference state in this edition
Drivers
a second consecutive low-snowpack winter in British Columbia and Alberta; a heat dome of 2021 magnitude in late June; an early and intense fire season
Analogues
2021 heat dome and Prairie drought; 2023 fire season
Interventions
none modelled, the specification describes the unmitigated case
Run state
narrative specification; quantified Foundry run scheduled for Q1 2027

5.2The cascade, step by step

  1. 1

    CLI → WAT

    low snowpack and heat cut summer flows and reservoir inflow

    2023 low water

  2. 2

    WAT → ENE

    lower hydro output; imports at peak prices

    2023–2024

  3. 3

    CLI → HLT

    heat deaths and emergency visits; cooling in care settings

    2021 heat dome6

  4. 4

    BIO → HLT

    smoke over Prairie and BC cities for weeks

    2023 season10

  5. 5

    WAT → FOO

    canola and wheat yields fall by a third or more

    2021 drought20

  6. 6

    CLI → INF

    fire and heat slow rail operations; export delays

    2021 · 2023

5.3The scenario as a table of steps

How the shock in scenario SCN-CAN-HDF-01 would travel through Canada’s coupled systems, step by step, under the assumptions the edition states.

StepWhat happensSource
01 Climate to waterLow snowpack and heat cut summer flows and reservoir inflow. Analogue or source: 2023 low water.Edition CAN, scenario SCN-CAN-HDF-01, step 1
02 Water to energyLower hydro output; imports at peak prices. Analogue or source: 2023–2024.Edition CAN, scenario SCN-CAN-HDF-01, step 2
03 Climate to healthHeat deaths and emergency visits; cooling in care settings. Analogue or source: 2021 heat dome [6].Edition CAN, scenario SCN-CAN-HDF-01, step 3
04 Biodiversity to healthSmoke over Prairie and BC cities for weeks. Analogue or source: 2023 season [10].Edition CAN, scenario SCN-CAN-HDF-01, step 4
05 Water to foodCanola and wheat yields fall by a third or more. Analogue or source: 2021 drought [20].Edition CAN, scenario SCN-CAN-HDF-01, step 5
06 Climate to infrastructureFire and heat slow rail operations; export delays. Analogue or source: 2021 · 2023.Edition CAN, scenario SCN-CAN-HDF-01, step 6

A teaching model of a conditional scenario under the edition’s stated assumptions: not a forecast, not a prediction and not a warning. Sources: Canada 2026, scenario SCN-CAN-HDF-01 (2026); Canada 2026, references (NR-CIT-1) (2026).

Notes

Numbers are the edition’s reference numbers, so a note reads the same in every chapter. The full list, with every source and its licence, is in Annex C. Annex C, references

  1. 6BC Coroners Service (ed.), Extreme Heat and Human Mortality: A Review of Heat-Related Deaths in B.C. in Summer 2021. Government of British Columbia, Victoria, 2022.back
  2. 10Natural Resources Canada (ed.), Canada’s record-breaking 2023 wildfire season. Canadian Forest Service, Ottawa, 2024.back
  3. 20Statistics Canada (ed.), “Production of principal field crops, November 2021.” The Daily, Ottawa, December 2021.back

Lenses and readings

The baseline is read through each steward’s lens, then once as a whole. Each lens is a projection of reviewed findings, not a separate argument.

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6.1Three lenses

One edition, read by each steward. The lens of this site comes first.

GCRI · KEY T

Technical Truth

The evidence supports a coupled reading of Canadian risk. Losses are rising in trend and driven by frequency across perils; electricity, food and health share a dependence on water and heat. The evidence is strongest for losses and emissions, and weakest for digital and cross-system dependencies.

FIN-002 · FIN-003 · ENE-005 · SYS-012

GRF · KEY M

Public Meaning

For most Canadians risk arrives as a smoke-filled summer, a flooded basement or a higher premium. The baseline asks that these be read as one system, so that public debate is about the couplings, and about who carries the uninsured share.

HLT-008 · CLI-010 · FIN-003

GRA · KEY F

Capital Meaning

Readiness implications only. A persistent protection gap, climate-risk supervision for federally regulated institutions25 and scenario practice already piloted with the central bank24 show where finance-readiness evidence will be needed. Nothing here is advice, a rating or an approval.

FIN-002 · FIN-003 · TRD-011

NEXUS

Synthesis

Canada’s baseline is strong in observation and thin in tested cross-system capability. The 2027 programme should build the dependency graph first, test the western compound pathway, and measure the protection gap where it lands.

SYS-012 · A-01 · A-03

6.2GCRI reading: the model card

GCRI’s reading of this edition is its model card: what the national model is, what it computes and where it stops. It is printed in full in Annex A, with the methods it belongs to. Annex A, methodology

6.3Global Risks Forum reading: editorial essays

Four signed essays by the Reports editorial team set out the positions this edition takes. They are interpretation, labelled as such; the evidence they draw on is in the findings register.

For decades Canadian disaster risk was told through single catastrophes, 1998, 2013, 2016. The record since 2016 reads differently. Losses have nearly tripled by decade, and 2025 showed that a year without one dominant event can still be one of the busiest on record. Planning for the largest event is no longer enough: systems must absorb many medium events in close succession, often in different provinces in the same season.

EDITORIAL ESSAY · 01

Frequency is the new severity

A grid that is about 60% hydro is low-carbon and drought-exposed at once. Dry years cut output, raise imports and shrink export revenue just as heat raises demand. As electrification grows and data centres add load, water becomes a binding constraint on the energy transition. Reservoir storage, snowpack and inflow belong on the energy dashboard as much as on the water one.

EDITORIAL ESSAY · 02

Water is Canada’s energy question

Wildfire smoke now reaches millions of people far from any fire, for weeks at a time. It arrives in the same months as heat and in the same cities whose emergency departments are already stretched. Treating fire as a forestry problem and smoke as an air-quality advisory understates the coupling; this edition treats the fire season as a public-health season with its own surge planning.

EDITORIAL ESSAY · 03

Smoke is a health-system event

When insurance covers about half of catastrophe losses, the other half does not disappear. It lands on households, small firms, municipalities, provinces and federal disaster assistance, often years later, and without a dedicated line in any budget. Measuring where the uninsured share lands, by peril and province, is the first step towards deciding who should carry it.

EDITORIAL ESSAY · 04

The protection gap is a fiscal question

6.4Global Risks Alliance reading: q1 2027 readiness pack

The registers that open the first operational quarter. At baseline each is initialised from this edition.

Table 6.1Q1 2027 readiness pack
ItemRegisterState at baselineFirst Q1 2027 entry
E1National risk state deltabaseline set by this editionchanges against the baseline
E2WEFH+B state deltafive system readings setindicator updates and freshness
E3Agenda and Portfolio movementeight agenda items · seven proposed objectsadmission decisions
E4NWG delivery registerno groups yetfirst monthly outputs
E5NNC capability registermembership opens in Q1 2027first contributions
E6NLC questions and challengesnone yetfirst challenge log
E7Foundry technical stateenvironment preparedfirst sealed cut
E8Publication candidatestwelve findings carried forwardPUBLISH · HOLD dispositions
E9Universe readinessone candidate missionadmission and role spine
E10Correction registernonefirst correction cycle

Publication dispositions

  • Publish
  • Hold
  • Needs evidence
  • Restricted
  • Superseded

6.5Nexus Standards reading: standards and regulatory watch

Instruments that shape the systems in this edition, by status on the retrieval date. The edition assesses no one’s compliance.

  • IN FORCE
  • ADOPTED
  • SUBMITTED
  • UNDER REVIEW
  • PUBLISHED · VOLUNTARY
Table 6.2Standards and regulatory watch
InstrumentBodyScopeStatusRelevance
Paris Agreement · 2030 NDC, 40–45% below 2005UNFCCC · Canadainternational · nationalIN FORCEemissions gap1
2035 NDC, 45–50% below 200548CanadanationalSUBMITTED 2025emissions pathway
Kunming-Montreal Framework, Decision 15/413CBDinternationalADOPTED 202230% by 2030
Sendai Framework 2015–203045UNDRRinternationalADOPTED 2015disaster risk reduction
Guideline B-15: Climate Risk Management25OSFIfederally regulated institutionsIN FORCE · PHASEDfinance readiness
CSDS 1 and CSDS 247CSSBnationalPUBLISHED · VOLUNTARYdisclosure
Telecom Regulatory Policy 2017-9136CRTCnationalIN FORCEpublic alerting
National Building Code of Canada 202046NRCmodel codeADOPTED BY PROVINCESbuilding resilience
CUSMA joint review, Article 34.735CUSMA partiestrilateralREVIEW 2026trade channel

Changed since 2024

  • Canada submitted a 2035 target of 45–50% below 200548
  • The CSSB published the first Canadian sustainability disclosure standards47
  • OSFI’s climate-risk guideline entered its phased implementation25

To watch in 2027

  • The outcome of the CUSMA joint review35
  • The design of a national flood insurance arrangement22
  • The April 2027 National Inventory Report and its revisions1

6.6Risk Academy reading: literature and evidence review, science and assessments

The review behind this edition covers peer-reviewed science, national and international assessments and the institutional reports that bind its findings. Full systematic reviews begin in Q1 2027 for each agenda item.

Review protocol

Question
What does the published evidence establish about Canada’s coupled water, energy, food, health and biodiversity risks?
Sources searched
peer-reviewed literature; national and international assessments; federal and provincial releases; industry loss data
Window
releases available at evidence close, 30 September 2026
Selection
sources that bind or contextualise a finding in this edition
Next step
systematic reviews for agenda items A-01 to A-05 in Q1 2027
Table 6.3Peer-reviewed science and assessments
ReferenceTypeYearRoleUsed for
Zscheischler et al.39journal article2018frameworkcompound-event reading
Jain et al.40journal article2024supports2023 fire-season drivers
Flannigan et al.42journal article2009contextfire–climate trend
Buldyrev et al.43journal article2010frameworkcascade logic of the matrix
Lee and Romero (eds.)26assessment2023contextglobal forcing
Bush and Lemmen (eds.)5assessment2019supportswarming rate
Warren and Lulham (eds.)41assessment2021supportsnational issues
Berry and Schnitter (eds.)18assessment2022supportsheat and smoke health
McElwee et al. (eds.)44assessment2024contextnexus interlinkages
Table 6.4Institutional reports
ReferenceIssuerYearRoleUsed for
National Risk Profile16Public Safety Canada2023supportscapability ladder
National Adaptation Strategy17ECCC2023supportsadaptation rung
Damage Control19Canadian Climate Institute2022contextcost of impacts
Flood insurance task force22Public Safety Canada2022supportsprotection gap
Supply Chain Task Force23Transport Canada2022supportscorridor fragility
Climate scenario pilot24Bank of Canada · OSFI2022contextcapital lens
Table 6.5Industry and loss data
ReferenceIssuerYearRoleUsed for
Annual catastrophe summary2CatIQ2026supportsinsured losses
Societal loss estimates3ICLR2026supportsuninsured share
Severe-weather losses4IBC2026supportsdecade totals
Calgary hailstorm29IBC2025supportsevent scale
Fort McMurray wildfire37IBC2017supportsevent scale
Table 6.6Standards, regulation and national official sources
ReferenceIssuerYearRoleUsed for
Guideline B-1525OSFI2023contextfinance supervision
Public alerting policy36CRTC2017supportsearly-warning rung
National Inventory Report1ECCC2026supportsemissions
Environmental indicators738ECCC2024–26supportsconservation, intensity
Population and crops1120Statistics Canada2021–25supportsprofile, drought
Health expenditure21CIHI2024supportshealth profile
Forests and wildfire1031NRCan2024supportsfire season, forests

Where the evidence agrees

  • Insured losses are rising in trend, driven by frequency across perils24
  • Canada is warming at about twice the global rate541
  • Heat and smoke are first-order health hazards618

Where it is unsettled

  • How much of each event’s loss is attributable to climate change
  • How uninsured losses are estimated, and how public-infrastructure losses are counted
  • How often multi-year drought will recur in the West at each warming level

Notes

Numbers are the edition’s reference numbers, so a note reads the same in every chapter. The full list, with every source and its licence, is in Annex C. Annex C, references

  1. 25Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (ed.), Guideline B-15: Climate Risk Management. OSFI, Ottawa, 2023.back
  2. 24Bank of Canada and Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (eds.), Using Scenario Analysis to Assess Climate Transition Risk: Final Report of the BoC–OSFI Climate Scenario Analysis Pilot. Ottawa, 2022.back
  3. 1Environment and Climate Change Canada (ed.), National Inventory Report 1990–2024: Greenhouse Gas Sources and Sinks in Canada. Canada’s submission to the UNFCCC, 2026 edition. ECCC, Gatineau, April 2026.back
  4. 48Government of Canada (ed.), Canada’s 2035 Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Agreement. Submission to the UNFCCC, 2025.back
  5. 13Convention on Biological Diversity (ed.), Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, Decision 15/4. CBD Secretariat, Montreal, 2022.back
  6. 45UNDRR (ed.), Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030. UNDRR, Geneva, 2015.back
  7. 47Canadian Sustainability Standards Board (ed.), Canadian Sustainability Disclosure Standards CSDS 1 and CSDS 2. CSSB, Toronto, December 2024.back
  8. 36Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (ed.), Telecom Regulatory Policy CRTC 2017-91: Implementation of the National Public Alerting System by wireless service providers. CRTC, Ottawa, 2017.back
  9. 46National Research Council Canada (ed.), National Building Code of Canada 2020. NRC, Ottawa, 2022.back
  10. 35Global Affairs Canada (ed.), “Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement (CUSMA): joint review.” GAC, Ottawa, retrieved 2026-09-30.back
  11. 22Public Safety Canada (ed.), Adapting to Rising Flood Risk: An Analysis of Insurance Solutions for Canada. Report of the Task Force on Flood Insurance and Relocation. Ottawa, 2022.back
  12. 39J. Zscheischler, S. Westra, B. J. J. M. van den Hurk et al., “Future climate risk from compound events,” Nature Climate Change, vol. 8, pp. 469–477, 2018.back
  13. 40P. Jain, Q. E. Barber, S. W. Taylor et al., “Drivers and impacts of the record-breaking 2023 wildfire season in Canada,” Nature Communications, vol. 15, art. 6764, 2024.back
  14. 42M. D. Flannigan, M. A. Krawchuk, W. J. de Groot, B. M. Wotton and L. M. Gowman, “Implications of changing climate for global wildland fire,” International Journal of Wildland Fire, vol. 18, pp. 483–507, 2009.back
  15. 43S. V. Buldyrev, R. Parshani, G. Paul, H. E. Stanley and S. Havlin, “Catastrophic cascade of failures in interdependent networks,” Nature, vol. 464, pp. 1025–1028, 2010.back
  16. 26H. Lee and J. Romero (eds.), Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Sixth Assessment Report of the IPCC. IPCC, Geneva, 2023.back
  17. 5E. Bush and D. S. Lemmen (eds.), Canada’s Changing Climate Report. Government of Canada, Ottawa, 2019.back
  18. 41F. J. Warren and N. Lulham (eds.), Canada in a Changing Climate: National Issues Report. Government of Canada, Ottawa, 2021.back
  19. 18P. Berry and R. Schnitter (eds.), Health of Canadians in a Changing Climate: Advancing our Knowledge for Action. Government of Canada, Ottawa, 2022.back
  20. 44P. D. McElwee, P. A. Harrison, T. L. van Huysen et al. (eds.), Thematic Assessment Report on the Interlinkages among Biodiversity, Water, Food and Health. IPBES secretariat, Bonn, 2024. doi:10.5281/zenodo.13850054. doi:10.5281/zenodo.13850054back
  21. 16Public Safety Canada (ed.), National Risk Profile: A national emergency preparedness and awareness tool, first public report. Government of Canada, Ottawa, 2023.back
  22. 17Environment and Climate Change Canada (ed.), Canada’s National Adaptation Strategy: Building Resilient Communities and a Strong Economy. ECCC, Gatineau, 2023.back
  23. 19Canadian Climate Institute (ed.), Damage Control: Reducing the Costs of Climate Impacts in Canada. CCI, Ottawa, 2022.back
  24. 23Transport Canada (ed.), Action. Collaboration. Transformation. Final report of the National Supply Chain Task Force. Ottawa, 2022.back
  25. 2CatIQ (ed.), Canadian insured losses from catastrophic events: 2025 annual summary. Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc., Toronto, January 2026.back
  26. 3Institute for Catastrophe Loss Reduction (ed.), Societal losses from catastrophic events in Canada: 2025 estimates. ICLR, Toronto, 2026.back
  27. 4Insurance Bureau of Canada (ed.), “Severe weather-related insured losses in Canada exceed $2.4 billion in 2025.” IBC, Toronto, January 2026.back
  28. 29Insurance Bureau of Canada (ed.), “Insured losses from Calgary hailstorm reach $3.25 billion.” IBC, Toronto, February 2025.back
  29. 37Insurance Bureau of Canada (ed.), “Northern Alberta wildfire costliest insured natural disaster in Canadian history.” IBC, Toronto, January 2017.back
  30. 7Environment and Climate Change Canada (ed.), Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators: Canada’s conserved areas. ECCC, Gatineau, 2024.back
  31. 38Environment and Climate Change Canada (ed.), Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators: Greenhouse gas emissions. ECCC, Gatineau, 2026.back
  32. 11Statistics Canada (ed.), “Canada’s population estimates, first quarter 2025.” The Daily, Ottawa, March 2025.back
  33. 20Statistics Canada (ed.), “Production of principal field crops, November 2021.” The Daily, Ottawa, December 2021.back
  34. 21Canadian Institute for Health Information (ed.), National Health Expenditure Trends, 2024. CIHI, Ottawa, 2024.back
  35. 10Natural Resources Canada (ed.), Canada’s record-breaking 2023 wildfire season. Canadian Forest Service, Ottawa, 2024.back
  36. 31Natural Resources Canada (ed.), The State of Canada’s Forests: Annual Report 2024. Canadian Forest Service, Ottawa, 2024.back
  37. 6BC Coroners Service (ed.), Extreme Heat and Human Mortality: A Review of Heat-Related Deaths in B.C. in Summer 2021. Government of British Columbia, Victoria, 2022.back

The 2027 agenda

Eight bounded questions open the 2027 National Agenda. Each comes from a baseline finding, names the initiative that will carry it and the first output due at the Q1 2027 cut.

5 min read0 figures6 tables5 notesNR-COUNTRY-CAN-2026-BASELINE

7.1Questions for the operational series

  1. A-01

    How would a multi-year drought combined with peak-electricity constraints affect agriculture, municipal water and food logistics in Western Canada?

    INI-CAN-WAT-01 · drought–energy–rail model; first output: dependency graph and data cut for three basins.

  2. A-02

    How much health-system surge capacity remains during concurrent heat and wildfire smoke in large western and central cities?

    INI-CAN-HLT-02 · heat–smoke surge readiness; first output: surge baseline for five health regions.

  3. A-03

    How large is the protection gap by peril and province, and where does the uninsured share land?

    INI-CAN-FIN-03 · protection gap and fiscal exposure; first output: peril-by-province loss table, 2016–2025.

  4. A-04

    Through which sectors and provinces would a change in North American trade terms travel fastest?

    INI-CAN-TRD-04 · trade-shock transmission; first output: input–output exposure map.

  5. A-05

    What is the condition of ecosystems outside protected areas, and how fast is it changing?

    INI-CAN-BIO-05 · ecosystem condition; first output: indicator set and coverage matrix.

  6. A-06

    Where do rail, port and grid assets share failure modes on the western gateway?

    INI-CAN-WAT-01 · workstream; first output: public-safe interdependence schematic.

  7. A-07

    How exposed are northern and remote communities to permafrost thaw and to fuel and food supply disruption?

    To be admitted in Q1 2027; first output: scoping note.

  8. A-08

    Which capabilities on the ladder have been tested in real events, and which are only documented?

    National capability register; first output: rung evidence for 15 functions.

7.2Portfolio proposed for the Q1 2027 alignment

Five initiatives, one project and one Universe mission candidate are proposed for admission at the Q1 2027 alignment. They are programme objects, no partner, funder or member is attached to them in this edition.

Table 7.1Objects proposed for the first operational quarter
IDObjectKindQuestionState
INI-CAN-WAT-01Western Canada drought–energy–rail dependency modelInitiativeA-01 · A-06PROPOSED
INI-CAN-HLT-02Heat and smoke surge readinessInitiativeA-02PROPOSED
INI-CAN-FIN-03Protection gap and fiscal exposure baselineInitiativeA-03PROPOSED
INI-CAN-TRD-04Trade-shock transmission modelInitiativeA-04PROPOSED
INI-CAN-BIO-05Ecosystem condition beyond protected areasInitiativeA-05PROPOSED
PRJ-CAN-WAT-01aThree-basin data cut and dependency graphProjectA-01PROPOSED
MSN-CAN-2027-01Compound drought–energy–rail Universe missionMissionA-01Candidate

7.3The pathway

Canada is the national pathway through which the Nexus operating system will run in Canada from 2027. At baseline the pathway is designed and its records are prepared; its councils and working groups are constituted from Q1 2027. This page states what exists today and what comes next, nothing more.

  1. 01

    One National Agenda

    bounded national questions for the year

    DRAFT 2027 · agenda review at the Q1 alignment

  2. 02

    National Desk

    coordination, records, routing and continuity

    DESIGNED · constituted in Q1 2027

  3. 03

    National Model

    the country as a system of systems

    v0 SPECIFIED · v1 with the first Foundry cut

  4. 04

    National Portfolio

    risks, capabilities, initiatives, projects, missions

    7 PROPOSED · admission at the Q1 alignment

  5. 05

    Foundry

    continuous computational environment

    PREPARED · first sealed cut NQ-CAN-2027-Q1

  6. 06

    Reports

    quarterly and annual publication

    BASELINE ISSUED · Q1 2027 · State & Agenda

  7. 07

    Universe

    annual proving environment

    CANDIDATE MISSION · mandate set in 2027

  8. 08

    Evidence and correction

    after-action, correction and renewal

    OPEN · first correction cycle in Q2 2027

7.4Universe 2027, evidence pack for the candidate mission

  1. 01

    Mandate

  2. 02

    Core Build · 1 month

  3. 03

    Action · 1 week

  4. 04

    Evidence seal

  5. 05

    Portfolio correction

  6. 06

    Next mandate

Table 7.2Universe 2027, evidence pack for the candidate mission
ItemRecordStateTiming
F1Annual mandate recordPLANNEDafter the Q2 2027 alignment
F2Core Build recordPLANNEDone month before the exercise
F3Exercise evidencePLANNEDduring the Action week
F4Decision packetsPLANNEDexercise state only
F5Proof receiptsPLANNEDscoped to each recorded check
F6After-action reportPLANNEDwithin one quarter
F7Upgrade docketPLANNEDrouted to the Portfolio
F8Portfolio renewalPLANNEDQ4 2027 annual edition
F9Public synthesisPLANNEDpublic-safe extracts only

Mission

ID
MSN-CAN-2027-01 · compound drought–energy–rail
Role spine
Leadership sponsor (NLC) · Institutional anchor (NNC) · Mission lead (NWG)
Receiving actors
to be identified with the mandate

7.5Handoffs and routing

Where the baseline’s findings go next. A handoff routes a finding for awareness, review or work; it transfers no authority.

Table 7.3Handoffs and routing
FindingRouted toPurposeClass
CLI-001 · emissionspublic recordreference for the 2027 seriesPUBLIC
FIN-002 · lossesfinance-readiness review (key F)protection-gap work A-03PUBLIC
FIN-003 · uninsured sharefinance-readiness review (key F)peril-by-province splitPUBLIC
ENE-005 · hydro dependenceINI-CAN-WAT-01drought–energy modelPUBLIC
HLT-008 · heat mortalityINI-CAN-HLT-02surge readinessPUBLIC
BIO-009 · conservationINI-CAN-BIO-05condition baselinePUBLIC
TRD-011 · trade channelINI-CAN-TRD-04transmission modelPUBLIC
SYS-012 · compound pathwayMSN-CAN-2027-01Universe candidateCONSORTIUM
Table 7.4Routing rules by publication class
ClassWhere it goesWho can see it
PUBLICthe published edition and its evidence bundleanyone
CONSORTIUMgoverned rooms of the national pathwayconsortium members under agreement
CONTROLLEDneed-to-know channelsnamed competent actors only

7.6Feeds and signal register

Table 7.5Feeds watched from Q1 2027
FeedProducerLatencyFeeds into
Canadian Wildland Fire Information SystemNatural Resources CanadadailyRSK-CAN-CLI-001
Wildland fire situation reports33CIFFCdaily in seasonresponse rung
Real-time hydrometric dataWater Survey of Canada, ECCCnear real timeRSK-CAN-WAT-002
Canadian Drought MonitorAgriculture and Agri-Food Canadamonthlyagenda item A-01
Weather alerts and warningsMeteorological Service of Canadareal timeearly-warning rung
Avian influenza summaries27PHAC · CFIAweeklyhealth signals
Catastrophe event estimates2CatIQper eventfinance findings
National Inventory Report1ECCCannualCLI-001
Table 7.6Signals at baseline
IDSignalCorroborationSystemsRoute
SIG-CAN-001Recurrent low water in western reservoirs and rivers, 2023–2025PARTIALWAT · ENEresearch question A-01
SIG-CAN-002H5N1 in poultry and wild birds; a domestically acquired human case in 202427CORROBORATEDHLT · FOO · BIOmonitoring
SIG-CAN-003Fire seasons starting earlier and lasting longer40CORROBORATEDCLI · BIO · HLTrisk object RSK-CAN-CLI-001

Escalation routes

  • none · keep monitoring
  • research question
  • project
  • risk object
  • quarterly publication
  • signal report

Notes

Numbers are the edition’s reference numbers, so a note reads the same in every chapter. The full list, with every source and its licence, is in Annex C. Annex C, references

  1. 33Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (ed.), National wildland fire situation reports, 2023–2025. CIFFC, Winnipeg, retrieved 2026-09-30.back
  2. 27Public Health Agency of Canada (ed.), “Avian influenza A(H5N1): current situation summary.” PHAC, Ottawa, retrieved 2026-09-30.back
  3. 2CatIQ (ed.), Canadian insured losses from catastrophic events: 2025 annual summary. Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc., Toronto, January 2026.back
  4. 1Environment and Climate Change Canada (ed.), National Inventory Report 1990–2024: Greenhouse Gas Sources and Sinks in Canada. Canada’s submission to the UNFCCC, 2026 edition. ECCC, Gatineau, April 2026.back
  5. 40P. Jain, Q. E. Barber, S. W. Taylor et al., “Drivers and impacts of the record-breaking 2023 wildfire season in Canada,” Nature Communications, vol. 15, art. 6764, 2024.back

Systems in depth

One section per system: its state at evidence close, its exposures and what the operational series will watch.

7 min read0 figures5 tables21 notesNR-COUNTRY-CAN-2026-BASELINE

8.1Water, the baseline system chapter

Canada’s water system is defined by abundance in total and scarcity where people, farms and power plants are. The binding stresses at baseline are drought in the West, flood in cities and corridors, and service gaps in remote communities.

≈20%

of the world’s fresh surface water, mostly flowing north8

≈7%

of the world’s renewable freshwater8

≈60%

of electricity generated from hydro9

Table 8.1State at baseline
ComponentStateEvidenceStatus
Supply and storagelarge but seasonal; snowpack and glaciers drive western summer flows85Reported
Droughtrecurrent on the Prairies and in southern British Columbia; 2021 is the reference year20Reported
Floodurban pluvial and riverine flooding is a leading driver of insured and uninsured losses422Inferred
Service accesslong-term drinking-water advisories persist on some First Nations systems28Reported
Energy linkhydro dominance makes low water an electricity event9Inferred

Couplings into other systems

  • WAT → ENE hydro output in dry years
  • WAT → FOO irrigation and rain-fed yields
  • WAT → HLT drinking water and sanitation
  • BIO → WAT wetland and forest regulation

Evidence to bind in 2027

  • basin-scale water stress under multi-year drought
  • groundwater levels and recharge
  • municipal supply resilience in dry years

8.2Energy, the baseline system chapter

A low-emitting electricity system sits beside an emissions-intensive oil and gas sector. Hydro dominance makes water the key energy risk, while heat and cold set peak demand.

≈83%

electricity from non-emitting sources9

208Mt CO₂e

oil and gas emissions, 20241

50Mt CO₂e

electricity emissions, 20241

Table 8.2State at baseline
ComponentStateEvidenceStatus
Generation mixabout 60% hydro, with nuclear concentrated in Ontario9Reported
Emissionsoil and gas the largest emitting sector; methane at a record low1Reported
Reliabilitypeak demand in heat and cold; interties and trade balance provinces15Inferred
Dry-year exposurelower hydro output raises imports and cuts exports9Inferred
Transitionelectrification raises demand; long-run projections in Canada’s Energy Future15Reported

Couplings into other systems

  • WAT → ENE hydro supply
  • ENE → FOO fuel, fertiliser and cold chain
  • ENE → HLT power and cooling for care
  • AIC → ENE new data-centre load

Evidence to bind in 2027

  • monthly hydro storage and import dependence
  • peak-demand margins under compound heat
  • data-centre load growth by province

8.3Food and agrifood, the baseline system chapter

Canada is a major exporter of grains, oilseeds and potash, and its yields swing with Prairie weather. Food security at home depends on access and affordability as much as on production.

≈⅓share

of world potash output30

−35%

canola output, 2021 against 202020

70Mt CO₂e

agriculture emissions, 20241

Table 8.3State at baseline
ComponentStateEvidenceStatus
Productiongrains, oilseeds and pulses on the Prairies; diverse production in the East20Reported
Drought sensitivity2021 heat and drought cut canola by about a third, and wheat by more20Reported
Inputsfertiliser, fuel and potash; Canada is a leading potash producer30Reported
Logisticsexport grain moves by rail to west-coast and Great Lakes ports23Inferred
Accesshousehold food access and affordability not yet bound at baseline,Expert input

Couplings into other systems

  • WAT → FOO rain-fed and irrigated yields
  • ENE → FOO inputs and cold chain
  • FOO → TRD export volumes
  • BIO → FOO pollination and soils

Evidence to bind in 2027

  • post-2021 drought impacts by region
  • household food access and affordability
  • rail and port continuity in harvest season

8.4Health and One Health, the baseline system chapter

Health is an active system, not only an outcome. Heat, smoke and zoonotic spillover now load it each season; spending is high, and surge depth is not documented.

12.4% GDP

health spending, 202421

619deaths

2021 heat dome, British Columbia6

2024H5N1

first domestically acquired human case27

Table 8.4State at baseline
ComponentStateEvidenceStatus
Spendingtotal health spending at 12.4% of GDP in 202421Reported
Heatthe 2021 heat dome is the deadliest weather event in Canadian history6Reported
Smokefire seasons bring weeks of smoke to distant cities1840Reported
One HealthH5N1 in poultry and wild birds; a domestic human case in 202427Reported
Surge capacitynot documented nationally at public-safe resolution,Expert input

Couplings into other systems

  • CLI → HLT heat mortality and morbidity
  • BIO → HLT smoke and zoonoses
  • ENE → HLT power and cooling in care settings
  • FOO → HLT nutrition and food safety

Evidence to bind in 2027

  • emergency surge under concurrent heat and smoke
  • cooling in long-term care and housing
  • One Health surveillance integration

8.5Biodiversity and ecosystems, the baseline system chapter

Canada holds vast forest, freshwater and marine ecosystems. Conservation stands at about half of the 2030 target, and fire is now the fastest-changing pressure.

13.7%

of land conserved, 20237

14.7%

of marine areas conserved, 20237

≈9%

of the world’s forests31

Table 8.5State at baseline
ComponentStateEvidenceStatus
Extentabout 9% of the world’s forests; extensive wetlands and peatlands31Reported
Conservation13.7% of land and 14.7% of marine areas, against 30% by 2030713Reported
Firerecord 2023 season; seasons starting earlier and lasting longer1040Reported
Conditionecosystem condition outside protected areas not yet bound,Expert input
Serviceswater regulation, pollination and carbon storage44Inferred

Couplings into other systems

  • BIO → WAT regulation and filtration
  • BIO → FOO pollination and soils
  • BIO → HLT smoke and zoonoses
  • CLI → BIO fire and heat

Evidence to bind in 2027

  • ecosystem condition indicators
  • peatland carbon under fire
  • species-at-risk trends by region

Notes

Numbers are the edition’s reference numbers, so a note reads the same in every chapter. The full list, with every source and its licence, is in Annex C. Annex C, references

  1. 8Environment and Climate Change Canada (ed.), “Water sources: water availability in Canada.” ECCC, Gatineau, retrieved 2026-09-30.back
  2. 9Natural Resources Canada (ed.), Energy Fact Book 2024–2025. NRCan, Ottawa, 2024.back
  3. 5E. Bush and D. S. Lemmen (eds.), Canada’s Changing Climate Report. Government of Canada, Ottawa, 2019.back
  4. 20Statistics Canada (ed.), “Production of principal field crops, November 2021.” The Daily, Ottawa, December 2021.back
  5. 4Insurance Bureau of Canada (ed.), “Severe weather-related insured losses in Canada exceed $2.4 billion in 2025.” IBC, Toronto, January 2026.back
  6. 22Public Safety Canada (ed.), Adapting to Rising Flood Risk: An Analysis of Insurance Solutions for Canada. Report of the Task Force on Flood Insurance and Relocation. Ottawa, 2022.back
  7. 28Indigenous Services Canada (ed.), “Ending long-term drinking water advisories.” ISC, Ottawa, retrieved 2026-09-30.back
  8. 1Environment and Climate Change Canada (ed.), National Inventory Report 1990–2024: Greenhouse Gas Sources and Sinks in Canada. Canada’s submission to the UNFCCC, 2026 edition. ECCC, Gatineau, April 2026.back
  9. 15Canada Energy Regulator (ed.), Canada’s Energy Future 2023: Energy Supply and Demand Projections to 2050. CER, Calgary, 2023.back
  10. 30U.S. Geological Survey (ed.), Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025. USGS, Reston, VA, 2025.back
  11. 23Transport Canada (ed.), Action. Collaboration. Transformation. Final report of the National Supply Chain Task Force. Ottawa, 2022.back
  12. 21Canadian Institute for Health Information (ed.), National Health Expenditure Trends, 2024. CIHI, Ottawa, 2024.back
  13. 6BC Coroners Service (ed.), Extreme Heat and Human Mortality: A Review of Heat-Related Deaths in B.C. in Summer 2021. Government of British Columbia, Victoria, 2022.back
  14. 27Public Health Agency of Canada (ed.), “Avian influenza A(H5N1): current situation summary.” PHAC, Ottawa, retrieved 2026-09-30.back
  15. 18P. Berry and R. Schnitter (eds.), Health of Canadians in a Changing Climate: Advancing our Knowledge for Action. Government of Canada, Ottawa, 2022.back
  16. 40P. Jain, Q. E. Barber, S. W. Taylor et al., “Drivers and impacts of the record-breaking 2023 wildfire season in Canada,” Nature Communications, vol. 15, art. 6764, 2024.back
  17. 7Environment and Climate Change Canada (ed.), Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators: Canada’s conserved areas. ECCC, Gatineau, 2024.back
  18. 31Natural Resources Canada (ed.), The State of Canada’s Forests: Annual Report 2024. Canadian Forest Service, Ottawa, 2024.back
  19. 13Convention on Biological Diversity (ed.), Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, Decision 15/4. CBD Secretariat, Montreal, 2022.back
  20. 10Natural Resources Canada (ed.), Canada’s record-breaking 2023 wildfire season. Canadian Forest Service, Ottawa, 2024.back
  21. 44P. D. McElwee, P. A. Harrison, T. L. van Huysen et al. (eds.), Thematic Assessment Report on the Interlinkages among Biodiversity, Water, Food and Health. IPBES secretariat, Bonn, 2024. doi:10.5281/zenodo.13850054. doi:10.5281/zenodo.13850054back

Methodology

How the edition was made: methods, the model card, the evidence cut and its age, the acceptance record and the glossary.

9 min read0 figures12 tables6 notesNR-COUNTRY-CAN-2026-BASELINE

A.1Methods

The baseline uses published values and four simple derivations. Each is shown in full so that any reader can reproduce it.

Table A.1Methods
No.DerivationCalculationResult
(1)Gap to the 2030 target685 − (0.55 to 0.60) × 763 Mt227–265 Mt
(2)Uninsured share of societal losses1 − 0.54≈ 46%
(3)Decade growth of insured losses37 ÷ 14≈ 2.6×
(4)Share of oil and gas plus transport(208 + 151) ÷ 685≈ 52%
Table A.2Coupling strength scale (matrix and model card)
StrengthDefinition
STRONGa disruption in the source system has historically changed the target system’s service or output within one season
MODERATEan effect is documented but buffered or slower
WEAKan effect is plausible but not documented at national scale
Table A.3Status grammar
LabelRule
Reportedvalue as issued by its source, with year
Inferredreasoned from cited evidence; never a measurement
EstimatedNexus analytical value with stated method
Scenarioconditional on stated assumptions
Expert inputstructured editorial judgement awaiting evidence

A.2Model card, National Model v0

Model ID
MDL-CAN-NATIONAL · v0.1
Purpose
represent Canada as coupled water, energy, food, health and biodiversity systems with forcing and transmission layers
Family
graph-based system of systems
Inputs
the cited sources of this edition; no proprietary data
Method
expert-specified coupling strengths (STRONG · MODERATE · WEAK) from evidence and analogue events
Validation
none yet, first validation against Q1 2027 Foundry evidence
Uncertainty
qualitative; strengths are hypotheses, not measurements
Domain of validity
national scale; not for provincial or asset-level use
Reproducibility
strength table and sources published in this edition
20couplings

typed in v0

9strong

documented within one season

7moderate

documented, buffered

4weak

plausible, undocumented

A.3The baseline evidence cut

Every Nexus edition is published from a frozen evidence cut. The baseline cut is documentary: it pins the exact edition of every source cited. Model runs begin with the first Foundry cut in Q1 2027.

Cut ID
NQ-CAN-2026-Q0-1
Type
baseline documentary cut
Resolution policy
pinned · as of 30 September 2026
Sources pinned
48 cited sources, each at the edition and retrieval date in the references
Model runs
none at baseline, analytical values are stated with their method
Digest
computed at freeze and recorded in the publication record
Supersedes
nothing, first cut of the series
Superseded by
NQ-CAN-2027-Q1-1 at the Q1 2027 close

Lineage

  1. 01

    source edition

  2. 02

    pinned citation

  3. 03

    finding

  4. 04

    page

  5. 05

    publication record

Table A.4From the baseline cut to the first Foundry cut
ElementBaseline 2026Q1 2027
Sourcescited publications, pinned by editionqualified source bindings with versions
Analysisstated methods and editorial estimatestyped analysis specifications
ModelsNational Model v0 specificationmodel runs with receipts
Findingstwelve baseline findingsfindings re-bound to the cut
Reviewfive passes scheduledfive passes on the exact digest

A.4Evidence age and coverage

A 2026 edition rests on evidence observed in many different years. This page shows each time base, so that no single year label hides older evidence.

Table A.5Evidence age and coverage
IndicatorObservedReleasedCadenceNext release
National GHG emissions2024Apr 2026annualApr 2027
Insured catastrophe losses2025Jan 2026annualJan 2027
Societal catastrophe losses20252026annual2027
PopulationQ1 20252025quarterlyquarterly
Conserved land and marine areas20232024annualnext update
Warming since 19481948–20162019periodicnext national assessment
Heat-related deaths, 202120212022one-off,
Prairie crop production2021Dec 2021annualannual
Health spending share of GDP20242024annualannual
World potash share20242025annualannual
Table A.6Coverage by system at baseline
SystemCoverageThinnest dimension
Climate forcingGOODregional downscaling for 2027 hazards
EnergyGOODmonthly hydro storage and imports
FinanceGOODprovincial and peril splits
FoodPARTIALpost-2021 drought impacts by region
WaterPARTIALgroundwater and basin stress
HealthPARTIALsurge capacity under heat and smoke
BiodiversityPARTIALecosystem condition outside protected areas
Digital and cyberTHINdependency mapping

A.5Evidence cards, two anchor sources

Issued by Environment and Climate Change Canada under the UNFCCC. National and provincial coverage, 1990–2024, compiled each April with IPCC methods. Each edition revises earlier years: the 2026 edition raised 2005 by 4.3 Mt and lowered 2023 by 7.0 Mt. Role: binds findings CLI-001 and ENE-004.

EVD-CAN-001

National Inventory Report 1990–20241

Issued by CatIQ, Canada’s insured-loss and exposure index provider. National coverage of declared catastrophe events, with insured-loss estimates revised after each event. Role: binds FIN-002, and with ICLR societal estimates [3] binds FIN-003.

EVD-CAN-002

Catastrophe loss index and annual summary2

Table A.7Quality dimensions at baseline
DimensionEVD-CAN-001EVD-CAN-002
Completenessall sectors and gasesdeclared catastrophes only
Timelinessabout 16 months after the yearweeks to months after events
Revisionannual back-revisionevent estimates revised
Method transparencypublished methodology annexessummary method published
External validationUNFCCC expert reviewindustry use; no public audit

Evidence cards to follow in Q1 2027

  • ICLR societal loss estimates3, method for uninsured losses
  • Conserved areas indicator7, coverage and counting rules
  • Field crop production20, provincial yield series
  • Health expenditure trends21, forecast and actual

A.6Publication acceptance record

Editorial self-check at evidence close. Every applicable item carries a disposition; the remaining items are review, approval and deposit.

Table A.8Publication acceptance record
GroupAreaItemsPassN/APending
D1Identity and scope8800
D2Source and data12912
D3Analysis and models12381
D4Findings and claims9801
D5Figures, tables, maps10622
D6Editorial and citations10802
D7Review and approval130013
D8Artefact and design12705
D9Registry and release9009

Publication gate

Conditions met
14 of 23 at evidence close
Blocking problems
none recorded
Open conditions
reviews, approval of the exact digest, deposit, registry pointer

Not applicable at baseline

Model runs
first runs in Q1 2027
Maps
plates in Q2 2027
Waivers
none

A.7Status words

Table A.9The status every value carries
StatusWhat it means
ObservedMeasured directly and published by the source.
ReportedPublished statistics of an official or institutional source.
DeclaredStated by the body concerned; not independently measured.
EstimatedA Nexus estimate from cited evidence, with its method in Annex A.
ModelledProduced by a stated model from cited inputs.
InferredReasoned from cited evidence; not measured.
ForecastA projection by the cited source.
SimulatedA simulation result under stated assumptions.
ScenarioA conditional statement under stated assumptions; never a prediction.
Expert inputExpert judgement, recorded with its basis.
CandidateProposed for a later edition; not yet evidence.
Evidence-quality levels (EQL 1 to 5) grade the source behind a value; they are not a score of the subject.

A.8How the edition is made, released and corrected

Every edition is built from a sealed evidence cut, reviewed under three keys, signed and deposited before any site shows it as published; corrections go to Nexus Standards as change proposals and feed the next cut.

StepWhat happensSource
01 Evidence arrives from the pillarsFoundry seals observations and indicator series, Universe hands over after-action and scenario findings, and contributions are screened at every gateway, including this site’s.
02 The cut is sealedOn the cut date the evidence is pinned under one identifier, so anyone can rebuild the edition from exactly what it was built on.
03 The edition is assembledThe edition is drafted from its template and content pack. Agents may draft; they never publish and never decide.
04 The keys turnAt the publisher of record the truth key comes first: every value is checked against its source or stated method before the meaning and capital keys turn. No edition moves on until every key has been turned by a named steward.
05 The gate opensA named approver releases one exact digest of the edition; any change after this point is a new version, never a silent edit.
06 Signed and depositedThe PDF, the web edition and the data bundle are signed together with a manifest and an RO-Crate description, and deposited on Zenodo with a concept and a version DOI.
07 Published on five sitesOnly then do the five Reports sites show the edition as published, each reading it through its own lens.
08 Corrections go to StandardsMethod and correction findings go to Nexus Standards as change proposals; citations, corrections and new contributions feed the next evidence cut.

A teaching model of the process, not a forecast and not a record of any run; dates and counts on this page come from the programme record. Sources: Reports governance at GCRI Canada (2026); Zenodo, repository of record for Reports deposits (2026).

Lifecycle, one state at a time: Draft, Computed, Evidence bound, Reviewed, Approved for release, Published, Corrected, Superseded. This edition is a draft.

A.9Glossary and abbreviations

Table A.10Series terms
TermMeaning
Baseline Editionthe inaugural annual edition that fixes the reference state for the series
WEFH+Bwater, energy, food, health and biodiversity, the national nexus core
Couplinga typed dependency through which one system transmits to another
Protection gapthe share of losses not covered by insurance
Capability ladderLISTED → EXISTS → ADEQUATE → TESTED → DEMONSTRATED
EQLevidence-quality level, 1–5
Evidence cuta frozen resolution of exact sources and versions
NNC · NLC · NWGNational Nexus Consortium · National Leadership Council · National Working Groups
Table A.11Abbreviations used in this edition
AbbreviationExpansion
CatIQCatastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc.
CESICanadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators
CIFFCCanadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre
CIHICanadian Institute for Health Information
CSSBCanadian Sustainability Standards Board
CUSMACanada–United States–Mexico Agreement
ECCCEnvironment and Climate Change Canada
IBCInsurance Bureau of Canada
ICLRInstitute for Catastrophe Loss Reduction
LULUCFland use, land-use change and forestry
NIRNational Inventory Report
NRCanNatural Resources Canada
OSFIOffice of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions
PHACPublic Health Agency of Canada

A.10Technical annex

Table A.12Technical annex
ItemAnnexContentsStatus
A.1Indicator definitionsthe baseline indicator set, with units and sourcesIN THIS EDITION
A.2Coupling strengthsthe twenty-cell matrix and its rationaleIN THIS EDITION
A.3Scenario specificationSCN-CAN-HDF-01 assumptions and signpostsIN THIS EDITION
A.4Capability placementsrung evidence for fifteen functionsIN THIS EDITION
A.5Model diagnosticsfirst runs and validationQ1 2027
A.6Sensitivity analysesinfluence of coupling strengthsQ2 2027
A.7Provincial notesatlas cards for every province and territoryQ2 2027
A.8Review statementspass-by-pass review recordAT RELEASE

A.1 · indicator definition, national GHG emissions

Construct
annual anthropogenic greenhouse-gas emissions
Unit
Mt CO₂e, 100-year global warming potentials
Scope
excludes land use, land-use change and forestry
Source
National Inventory Report 20261
Revision
back-revised each April edition
Known limits
about 16 months’ lag at release

Notes

Numbers are the edition’s reference numbers, so a note reads the same in every chapter. The full list, with every source and its licence, is in Annex C. Annex C, references

  1. 1Environment and Climate Change Canada (ed.), National Inventory Report 1990–2024: Greenhouse Gas Sources and Sinks in Canada. Canada’s submission to the UNFCCC, 2026 edition. ECCC, Gatineau, April 2026.back
  2. 2CatIQ (ed.), Canadian insured losses from catastrophic events: 2025 annual summary. Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc., Toronto, January 2026.back
  3. 3Institute for Catastrophe Loss Reduction (ed.), Societal losses from catastrophic events in Canada: 2025 estimates. ICLR, Toronto, 2026.back
  4. 7Environment and Climate Change Canada (ed.), Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators: Canada’s conserved areas. ECCC, Gatineau, 2024.back
  5. 20Statistics Canada (ed.), “Production of principal field crops, November 2021.” The Daily, Ottawa, December 2021.back
  6. 21Canadian Institute for Health Information (ed.), National Health Expenditure Trends, 2024. CIHI, Ottawa, 2024.back

Data appendix

The indicator set with its sources, the source registers, the licences of every kind of material and the formats of the edition.

9 min read0 figures8 tables21 notesNR-COUNTRY-CAN-2026-BASELINE

B.1The indicator set

Table B.1Baseline indicator set
IndicatorValueUnitYearStateSource
National GHG emissions685Mt CO₂e2024Reported1
Change since 2005−10.3%2024Reported1
Oil and gas emissions208Mt CO₂e2024Reported1
Transport emissions151Mt CO₂e2024Reported1
Agriculture emissions70Mt CO₂e2024Reported1
Electricity emissions50Mt CO₂e2024Reported1
Methane emissions105Mt CO₂e2024Reported1
Emissions per person16.6t CO₂e2024Reported38
Insured catastrophe losses9.1C$ billion2024Reported2
Insured catastrophe losses2.4C$ billion2025Reported2
Uninsured catastrophe losses1.0C$ billion2025Reported3
Catastrophes declared17events2025Reported2
Insured severe-weather losses37C$ billion2016–2025Reported4
Warming since 19481.7°C1948–2016Reported5
Heat-related deaths, BC619deaths2021Reported6
Conserved land13.7%2023Reported7
Conserved marine areas14.7%2023Reported7
Population41.5million2025Reported11
Health spending12.4% of GDP2024Reported21
Critical minerals listed34minerals2024Reported14

B.2National source register

The governed source set behind this edition. Each source keeps its authority, coverage, cadence and role; categories describe origin, not truth.

Table B.3National source register
SourceCategoryCoveragePeriodCadenceRole
National Inventory Report1national technical authoritynational · provincial1990–2024annualCLI · ENE
Sustainability indicators738national technical authoritynationalto 2024annualBIO · CLI
Population estimates11national statisticsnational2025 Q1quarterlyprofile
Census of Population32national statisticsnational2021five-yearlyprofile
Field crop production20national statisticsprovincial2021annualFOO
Health expenditure trends21national statisticsnational2024annualHLT
Canada’s Changing Climate Report5scientific assessmentnational1948–2016periodicCLI
Extreme heat review6administrative recordprovincial2021one-offHLT
Catastrophe loss index2industrynationalto 2025per eventFIN
Societal loss estimates3research institutenational43 yearsannualFIN
Forest and wildfire reports1031national technical authoritynational2023–2024annualCLI · BIO
Mineral Commodity Summaries30international producerglobal2024annualFOO · MIN

Domains bound by the register

  • WAT
  • ENE
  • FOO
  • HLT
  • BIO
  • CLI
  • INF
  • FIN
  • TRD
  • MIN

B.3Regional reading, Canada by macro-region

Map plates for every province and territory follow in Q2 2027, when boundary sources and public-safe resolutions are bound. This page gives the regional reading in table form.

Share of population by region, 2021 Census32

13.5%

British Columbia

18.2%

Prairies

61.5%

Ontario and Quebec

6.5%

Atlantic Canada

0.3%

the North

Table B.4Regional reading, Canada by macro-region
RegionPrincipal hazardsSystems most exposedBaseline evidence
British Columbiaheat, drought, wildfire, atmospheric-river floodshealth, hydro, rail and port links2021 heat dome6; 2021 floods
Prairies (AB, SK, MB)drought, hail, wildfirefood, rail, insurance2021 drought20; 2024 hail29; 2016 wildfire37
Ontario and Quebecice storms, urban flooding, heatpower distribution, housing, health2025 ice storm2; 2024 floods4
Atlantic Canadapost-tropical storms, coastal flooding, wildfirepower, housing, fisheriespost-tropical storm Fiona, 2022
Northpermafrost thaw, wildfire, supply disruptionhousing, roads, food and fuel supply2023 Yellowknife evacuation10

The leading compound pathway runs through British Columbia: heat-dome mortality, low-water years for hydro, and atmospheric-river floods that cut the corridors to the port of Vancouver.

BRITISH COLUMBIA

Heat, water and corridors

The Prairies hold most of Canada’s grain and oilseed production and set records for hail and wildfire losses. A multi-year drought here couples water, food, energy and rail.

PRAIRIES

Drought, hail and fire

Six in ten Canadians live in Ontario and Quebec, where ice storms, urban flooding and heat test power distribution, housing and health services.

ONTARIO AND QUEBEC

Ice, flood and heat in dense cities

B.4Atlas card, British Columbia

  • province
  • basin
  • grid region
  • corridor
Systems in view
health, energy, water, transport
Defining events
2021 heat dome, 619 deaths6; November 2021 atmospheric-river floods; recurrent low water, 2023–2025
Couplings
WAT → ENE hydro; CLI → HLT heat; CLI → INF corridor links
Capability evidence
public alerting in use since 201836; wildfire mutual aid in 202333
Gaps
basin-scale drought stress; corridor interdependence; surge capacity
Agenda items
A-01 · A-02 · A-06
Table B.5Evidence age in this unit
EvidenceObservedState
Heat mortality review2021Reported
Low-water signal2023–2025Inferred
Corridor dependency2021 analogueExpert input

The 2021 heat dome killed 619 people in British Columbia; almost all died indoors, many of them older adults living alone. Cooling, check-in programmes and alerts are the capability questions for 2027.

HEALTH

Heat and smoke

Most of the province’s electricity comes from hydro. Low-water years since 2023 (signal SIG-CAN-001) raise imports at peak prices in a province that is normally an exporter.

ENERGY

Low water, high demand

The November 2021 atmospheric-river floods cut road and rail links between the port of Vancouver and the rest of Canada for days to weeks, the analogue for agenda item A-06.

TRANSPORT

Corridors to the coast

B.5Canada system card

The card through which Canada appears in the North America regional edition and the global series. It summarises; it does not rank.

Table B.6Canada system card
SystemBaseline stateCoupling to watchCoverage
Waterlarge endowment; uneven accessdrought into hydro and foodPARTIAL
Energylow-emitting power; oil and gas emissionswater and heatGOOD
Foodmajor exporterdrought and corridorsGOOD
Healthhigh spending; seasonal heat and smoke loadheat, smoke, zoonosesPARTIAL
Biodiversityvast ecosystems; conservation below targetfire and land usePARTIAL

Context

Archetype
high-income, resource-exporting federation with a northern frontier
Population
41.5 million (2025)11
Trade
about three-quarters of goods exports to the United States12
Losses
record insured catastrophe losses in 20242

Canada’s card sits beside those of the United States and Mexico; shared basins, grids, rail and supply chains are read as one regional system.

NORTH AMERICA REGIONAL EDITION

One regional system

Canadian evidence enters the water, energy, food, finance and climate sector reports through the same finding identifiers, so a correction travels everywhere at once.

GLOBAL SECTOR SERIES

Same findings, same IDs

In the global edition Canada is read against peer distributions and thresholds, never placed in a league table.

GLOBAL FLAGSHIP

Peers, not ranks

B.6Licences

Table B.7Licences of each kind of material
MaterialLicence
TextCC BY 4.0
Dataon the licence of each source; Nexus tables CC BY 4.0
FiguresNexus figures CC BY 4.0; third-party as credited
Mapsboundary source and licence printed on each plate
MetadataCC0 1.0, as Zenodo publishes it
Third-party data, figures and textThe source’s own licence, credited where it is used; never relicensed
Nexus-authored text, tables and figures: CC BY 4.0 (SPDX CC-BY-4.0). Map plates print their boundary source and licence.

B.7Formats and provenance

Table B.8This edition in every format
FormatKindStateWhat it isIdentifier
Web editionHTMLOn this siteDraft in stewardship review; every value resolves to its source.NR-COUNTRY-CAN-2026-BASELINE-v1.0.0
Print editionPDFAt releaseA4 portrait · screen, print and archival PDF, signed with the web edition at release.NR-COUNTRY-CAN-2026-BASELINE-v1.0.0
Indicator dataCSV · JSONOn this site20 indicators with unit, year, status and source; the machine-readable copy ships with the evidence bundle at release.NR-COUNTRY-CAN-2026-BASELINE data release v1
FiguresSVG · PNGOn this site4 on the web edition: headline figure, figure 1.3, coupling instrument, capability ladder.FIG-COUNTRY-CAN-2026-BASELINE-*
SlidesPDFNot recordedNo slide deck is recorded for this edition.
Evidence briefHTML · PDFNot recordedNo evidence brief is recorded for this edition.
Dataset with DOIDataCiteAt releaseConcept and version DOI are minted at deposit; none is recorded yet.

Provenance

Edition pack
The edition’s content pack (JSON), from which the print and web editions are built
Evidence cut
NQ-CAN-2026-Q0-1, closed 30 September 2026
Reproducibility
sourced values cited; analytical values reproducible from stated parameters
Self-check
14 of 23 at evidence close; a fail on any item blocks release
Review
five passes scheduled before release
Publisher of record
GCRI for the Nexus Consortium
Corrections
Registry correction pathway; upheld corrections are published as notices with a new version

Notes

Numbers are the edition’s reference numbers, so a note reads the same in every chapter. The full list, with every source and its licence, is in Annex C. Annex C, references

  1. 1Environment and Climate Change Canada (ed.), National Inventory Report 1990–2024: Greenhouse Gas Sources and Sinks in Canada. Canada’s submission to the UNFCCC, 2026 edition. ECCC, Gatineau, April 2026.back
  2. 38Environment and Climate Change Canada (ed.), Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators: Greenhouse gas emissions. ECCC, Gatineau, 2026.back
  3. 2CatIQ (ed.), Canadian insured losses from catastrophic events: 2025 annual summary. Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc., Toronto, January 2026.back
  4. 3Institute for Catastrophe Loss Reduction (ed.), Societal losses from catastrophic events in Canada: 2025 estimates. ICLR, Toronto, 2026.back
  5. 4Insurance Bureau of Canada (ed.), “Severe weather-related insured losses in Canada exceed $2.4 billion in 2025.” IBC, Toronto, January 2026.back
  6. 5E. Bush and D. S. Lemmen (eds.), Canada’s Changing Climate Report. Government of Canada, Ottawa, 2019.back
  7. 6BC Coroners Service (ed.), Extreme Heat and Human Mortality: A Review of Heat-Related Deaths in B.C. in Summer 2021. Government of British Columbia, Victoria, 2022.back
  8. 7Environment and Climate Change Canada (ed.), Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators: Canada’s conserved areas. ECCC, Gatineau, 2024.back
  9. 11Statistics Canada (ed.), “Canada’s population estimates, first quarter 2025.” The Daily, Ottawa, March 2025.back
  10. 21Canadian Institute for Health Information (ed.), National Health Expenditure Trends, 2024. CIHI, Ottawa, 2024.back
  11. 14Natural Resources Canada (ed.), The Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List (2024 update). NRCan, Ottawa, 2022–2024.back
  12. 32Statistics Canada (ed.), Census of Population, 2021. Statistics Canada, Ottawa, 2022.back
  13. 20Statistics Canada (ed.), “Production of principal field crops, November 2021.” The Daily, Ottawa, December 2021.back
  14. 10Natural Resources Canada (ed.), Canada’s record-breaking 2023 wildfire season. Canadian Forest Service, Ottawa, 2024.back
  15. 31Natural Resources Canada (ed.), The State of Canada’s Forests: Annual Report 2024. Canadian Forest Service, Ottawa, 2024.back
  16. 30U.S. Geological Survey (ed.), Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025. USGS, Reston, VA, 2025.back
  17. 29Insurance Bureau of Canada (ed.), “Insured losses from Calgary hailstorm reach $3.25 billion.” IBC, Toronto, February 2025.back
  18. 37Insurance Bureau of Canada (ed.), “Northern Alberta wildfire costliest insured natural disaster in Canadian history.” IBC, Toronto, January 2017.back
  19. 36Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (ed.), Telecom Regulatory Policy CRTC 2017-91: Implementation of the National Public Alerting System by wireless service providers. CRTC, Ottawa, 2017.back
  20. 33Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (ed.), National wildland fire situation reports, 2023–2025. CIFFC, Winnipeg, retrieved 2026-09-30.back
  21. 12Statistics Canada (ed.), “Canadian international merchandise trade: annual review 2024.” The Daily, Ottawa, 2025.back

References and record

Every source the edition rests on, the publication record, the corrections log and the open record.

11 min read0 figures1 table0 notesNR-COUNTRY-CAN-2026-BASELINE

C.148 sources

NR-CIT-1, editor first. A DOI is linked where the source has one; Nexus records carry a UNI once the catalogue allocates it (NS-1).

  1. 1Environment and Climate Change Canada (ed.), National Inventory Report 1990–2024: Greenhouse Gas Sources and Sinks in Canada. Canada’s submission to the UNFCCC, 2026 edition. ECCC, Gatineau, April 2026. Cited in the summary, chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 3, chapter 6, chapter 7, chapter 8
  2. 2CatIQ (ed.), Canadian insured losses from catastrophic events: 2025 annual summary. Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc., Toronto, January 2026. Cited in the summary, chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 3, chapter 6, chapter 7
  3. 3Institute for Catastrophe Loss Reduction (ed.), Societal losses from catastrophic events in Canada: 2025 estimates. ICLR, Toronto, 2026. Cited in the summary, chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 3, chapter 6
  4. 4Insurance Bureau of Canada (ed.), “Severe weather-related insured losses in Canada exceed $2.4 billion in 2025.” IBC, Toronto, January 2026. Cited in the summary, chapter 1, chapter 6, chapter 8
  5. 5E. Bush and D. S. Lemmen (eds.), Canada’s Changing Climate Report. Government of Canada, Ottawa, 2019. Cited in chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 3, chapter 6, chapter 8
  6. 6BC Coroners Service (ed.), Extreme Heat and Human Mortality: A Review of Heat-Related Deaths in B.C. in Summer 2021. Government of British Columbia, Victoria, 2022. Cited in the summary, chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 3, chapter 5, chapter 6, chapter 8
  7. 7Environment and Climate Change Canada (ed.), Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators: Canada’s conserved areas. ECCC, Gatineau, 2024. Cited in the summary, chapter 2, chapter 3, chapter 6, chapter 8
  8. 8Environment and Climate Change Canada (ed.), “Water sources: water availability in Canada.” ECCC, Gatineau, retrieved 2026-09-30. Cited in chapter 2, chapter 3, chapter 8
  9. 9Natural Resources Canada (ed.), Energy Fact Book 2024–2025. NRCan, Ottawa, 2024. Cited in the summary, chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 3, chapter 8
  10. 10Natural Resources Canada (ed.), Canada’s record-breaking 2023 wildfire season. Canadian Forest Service, Ottawa, 2024. Cited in the summary, chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 5, chapter 6, chapter 8
  11. 11Statistics Canada (ed.), “Canada’s population estimates, first quarter 2025.” The Daily, Ottawa, March 2025. Cited in the summary, chapter 6
  12. 12Statistics Canada (ed.), “Canadian international merchandise trade: annual review 2024.” The Daily, Ottawa, 2025. Cited in the summary, chapter 2, chapter 4
  13. 13Convention on Biological Diversity (ed.), Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, Decision 15/4. CBD Secretariat, Montreal, 2022. Cited in the summary, chapter 2, chapter 6, chapter 8
  14. 14Natural Resources Canada (ed.), The Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List (2024 update). NRCan, Ottawa, 2022–2024.
  15. 15Canada Energy Regulator (ed.), Canada’s Energy Future 2023: Energy Supply and Demand Projections to 2050. CER, Calgary, 2023. Cited in chapter 8
  16. 16Public Safety Canada (ed.), National Risk Profile: A national emergency preparedness and awareness tool, first public report. Government of Canada, Ottawa, 2023. Cited in chapter 4, chapter 6
  17. 17Environment and Climate Change Canada (ed.), Canada’s National Adaptation Strategy: Building Resilient Communities and a Strong Economy. ECCC, Gatineau, 2023. Cited in chapter 3, chapter 4, chapter 6
  18. 18P. Berry and R. Schnitter (eds.), Health of Canadians in a Changing Climate: Advancing our Knowledge for Action. Government of Canada, Ottawa, 2022. Cited in chapter 1, chapter 6, chapter 8
  19. 19Canadian Climate Institute (ed.), Damage Control: Reducing the Costs of Climate Impacts in Canada. CCI, Ottawa, 2022. Cited in chapter 6
  20. 20Statistics Canada (ed.), “Production of principal field crops, November 2021.” The Daily, Ottawa, December 2021. Cited in the summary, chapter 1, chapter 5, chapter 6, chapter 8
  21. 21Canadian Institute for Health Information (ed.), National Health Expenditure Trends, 2024. CIHI, Ottawa, 2024. Cited in the summary, chapter 3, chapter 6, chapter 8
  22. 22Public Safety Canada (ed.), Adapting to Rising Flood Risk: An Analysis of Insurance Solutions for Canada. Report of the Task Force on Flood Insurance and Relocation. Ottawa, 2022. Cited in the summary, chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 4, chapter 6, chapter 8
  23. 23Transport Canada (ed.), Action. Collaboration. Transformation. Final report of the National Supply Chain Task Force. Ottawa, 2022. Cited in chapter 1, chapter 3, chapter 6, chapter 8
  24. 24Bank of Canada and Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (eds.), Using Scenario Analysis to Assess Climate Transition Risk: Final Report of the BoC–OSFI Climate Scenario Analysis Pilot. Ottawa, 2022. Cited in chapter 6
  25. 25Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (ed.), Guideline B-15: Climate Risk Management. OSFI, Ottawa, 2023. Cited in chapter 6
  26. 26H. Lee and J. Romero (eds.), Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Sixth Assessment Report of the IPCC. IPCC, Geneva, 2023. Cited in chapter 6
  27. 27Public Health Agency of Canada (ed.), “Avian influenza A(H5N1): current situation summary.” PHAC, Ottawa, retrieved 2026-09-30. Cited in chapter 3, chapter 7, chapter 8
  28. 28Indigenous Services Canada (ed.), “Ending long-term drinking water advisories.” ISC, Ottawa, retrieved 2026-09-30. Cited in chapter 3, chapter 8
  29. 29Insurance Bureau of Canada (ed.), “Insured losses from Calgary hailstorm reach $3.25 billion.” IBC, Toronto, February 2025. Cited in chapter 1, chapter 6
  30. 30U.S. Geological Survey (ed.), Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025. USGS, Reston, VA, 2025. Cited in the summary, chapter 3, chapter 8
  31. 31Natural Resources Canada (ed.), The State of Canada’s Forests: Annual Report 2024. Canadian Forest Service, Ottawa, 2024. Cited in the summary, chapter 6, chapter 8
  32. 32Statistics Canada (ed.), Census of Population, 2021. Statistics Canada, Ottawa, 2022. Cited in the summary, chapter 3
  33. 33Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (ed.), National wildland fire situation reports, 2023–2025. CIFFC, Winnipeg, retrieved 2026-09-30. Cited in chapter 4, chapter 7
  34. 34Federation of Canadian Municipalities et al. (eds.), Canadian Infrastructure Report Card 2019: Monitoring the State of Canada’s Core Public Infrastructure. Ottawa, 2019. Cited in chapter 4
  35. 35Global Affairs Canada (ed.), “Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement (CUSMA): joint review.” GAC, Ottawa, retrieved 2026-09-30. Cited in the summary, chapter 4, chapter 6
  36. 36Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (ed.), Telecom Regulatory Policy CRTC 2017-91: Implementation of the National Public Alerting System by wireless service providers. CRTC, Ottawa, 2017. Cited in chapter 4, chapter 6
  37. 37Insurance Bureau of Canada (ed.), “Northern Alberta wildfire costliest insured natural disaster in Canadian history.” IBC, Toronto, January 2017. Cited in chapter 6
  38. 38Environment and Climate Change Canada (ed.), Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators: Greenhouse gas emissions. ECCC, Gatineau, 2026. Cited in chapter 1, chapter 6
  39. 39J. Zscheischler, S. Westra, B. J. J. M. van den Hurk et al., “Future climate risk from compound events,” Nature Climate Change, vol. 8, pp. 469–477, 2018. Cited in chapter 6
  40. 40P. Jain, Q. E. Barber, S. W. Taylor et al., “Drivers and impacts of the record-breaking 2023 wildfire season in Canada,” Nature Communications, vol. 15, art. 6764, 2024. Cited in chapter 6, chapter 7, chapter 8
  41. 41F. J. Warren and N. Lulham (eds.), Canada in a Changing Climate: National Issues Report. Government of Canada, Ottawa, 2021. Cited in chapter 6
  42. 42M. D. Flannigan, M. A. Krawchuk, W. J. de Groot, B. M. Wotton and L. M. Gowman, “Implications of changing climate for global wildland fire,” International Journal of Wildland Fire, vol. 18, pp. 483–507, 2009. Cited in chapter 6
  43. 43S. V. Buldyrev, R. Parshani, G. Paul, H. E. Stanley and S. Havlin, “Catastrophic cascade of failures in interdependent networks,” Nature, vol. 464, pp. 1025–1028, 2010. Cited in chapter 6
  44. 44P. D. McElwee, P. A. Harrison, T. L. van Huysen et al. (eds.), Thematic Assessment Report on the Interlinkages among Biodiversity, Water, Food and Health. IPBES secretariat, Bonn, 2024. doi:10.5281/zenodo.13850054. doi:10.5281/zenodo.13850054 Cited in chapter 6, chapter 8
  45. 45UNDRR (ed.), Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030. UNDRR, Geneva, 2015. Cited in chapter 6
  46. 46National Research Council Canada (ed.), National Building Code of Canada 2020. NRC, Ottawa, 2022. Cited in chapter 6
  47. 47Canadian Sustainability Standards Board (ed.), Canadian Sustainability Disclosure Standards CSDS 1 and CSDS 2. CSSB, Toronto, December 2024. Cited in chapter 6
  48. 48Government of Canada (ed.), Canada’s 2035 Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Agreement. Submission to the UNFCCC, 2025. Cited in chapter 6

C.2Publication record

Publication

Title
Canada Systems Risk & Resilience Report 2026, Baseline Edition
Series
Reports · Edition 2026–2030
Edition
Baseline Edition 2026 · inaugural annual
Version
v1.0.0 · draft for stewardship review
Publication ID
NR-COUNTRY-CAN-2026-BASELINE-v1.0.0
Evidence close
30 September 2026
Publication date
October 2026
DOI
concept and version DOI at deposit

Publisher

Publisher of record
The Global Centre for Risk and Innovation (GCRI), for the Nexus Consortium
Place
Toronto
Editor
Saeed Valadbaygi, Chief Steward and Managing Editor
Stewards
GCRI · technical truth · GRF · public meaning · GRA · capital meaning
Licence
text CC BY 4.0; data on the terms of each source
Copyright
© 2026 GCRI · Nexus Consortium
Language
English (en-GB) source edition
Correspondence
Registry correction pathway · editorial office

Colophon

Format
A4 portrait · screen, print and archival PDF
Typefaces
Space Grotesk (display) · Geist (text) · IBM Plex Sans Italic (standfirsts) · IBM Plex Mono (data)
Design standard
Reports Foundational Edition, Volume I, Part VII
Accessibility
tagged PDF and HTML targets; text alternatives for every figure
Production
Reports editorial team, GCRI

Release path for this version

Table C.1Release path for this version
StepWhat happensWhen
Drafteditorial self-check complete at evidence closeOctober 2026
Steward reviewfive passes on the exact draft (keys T · M · F · N)Q4 2026
Approvalpublication authority approves the exact digestbefore release
Depositconcept and version DOI minted; registry pointer setat release
Successionthe Q1 2027 edition reports changes against this baselineQ1 2027
Current version
v1.0.0 draft, stewardship review
Previous edition
none, first edition of the series
Next edition
NR-COUNTRY-CAN-2027-Q1-v1.0.0
Latest version
resolve the concept DOI or the registry record
Correction route
Registry correction pathway
Notice types
erratum · addendum · supersession · withdrawal

C.3Corrections log

0correction notices. No edition has been released yet, so none can be corrected; the log below lists each edition’s current version.

EditionVersionDateStateChangeNotice
CANNR-COUNTRY-CAN-2026-BASELINE-v1.0.0October 2026DraftBaseline Edition 2026, inaugural annual edition,None

Notice types: erratum, addendum, supersession, withdrawal. A correction is a new version with a published notice; the earlier version stays resolvable, and no edition is ever edited in silence.

C.4Open record

This edition’s open record

Publication ID
NR-COUNTRY-CAN-2026-BASELINE-v1.0.0
Series alias
NR-NAT-CAN-2026-BL
DOI
Concept and version DOI at deposit, on Zenodo with DataCite metadata
Versions
Each correction is a new version (isNewVersionOf); the concept DOI resolves to the latest
Bundle
RO-Crate 1.2 with CITATION.cff, CodeMeta and PROV-O provenance; a signed manifest
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (SPDX CC-BY-4.0) for original material; metadata CC0 1.0

Credit and identity

ORCID
Your iD in the deposit and the contribution record; DataCite can then add the work to your ORCID record
ROR
Your organisation by its ROR identifier, never by a typed name alone
CRediT
Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Software, Validation, Visualisation, Writing, review and editing
Account
None needed to contribute; never a password

Find and follow

Search the open indexes for Canada; software is cited by its SWHID from Software Heritage, and a quantified scenario run is preregistered on OSF before it is run. Annotation is your choice: Hypothesis opens this page in its own viewer.

Mirrors and harvest

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InvenioRDM metadata for a contribution on Canada, prefilled from this page
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C.5Where this edition sits among the six pillars

Foundry seals the evidence and Universe tests it; Reports publishes it; Standards takes its corrections and Academy teaches from it.

  1. F03 Sealed observations and indicator series Foundry Sealed observations and indicator series behind a profile (closeout).
  2. F04 After-action and scenario findings for Universe After-action and scenario findings for chapters 10 and 13 (after action review).
  3. F05 National Portfolio movement for chapter Foundry National Portfolio movement for chapter 11 (after action review).
  4. Applied in editions Standards Nexus Standards: applied in editions.
  5. CAN edition Reports Canada 2026, published in every format with its sources, citation and corrections.
  6. F06 Method and correction findings as change Standards Method and correction findings as change proposals (correction).
  7. F12 Q4 synthesis informs the next-year Universe Q4 synthesis informs the next-year mandate (renewal).
  8. Taught in the open Academy Risk Academy: taught in the open.

What Foundry and Universe hand to this edition, and what it hands to Standards, Universe and Academy. From the programme spine; CAN is a drafted Baseline Edition, so these handoffs run from its first operational quarter.

HandoffBetweenWhat crosses, and when
F03Foundry to ReportsSealed observations and indicator series behind a profile (closeout).
F04Universe to ReportsAfter-action and scenario findings for chapters 10 and 13 (after action review).
F05Foundry to ReportsNational Portfolio movement for chapter 11 (after action review).
RingNexus Standards to ReportsNexus Standards: applied in editions.
F06Reports to Nexus StandardsMethod and correction findings as change proposals (correction).
F12Reports to UniverseQ4 synthesis informs the next-year mandate (renewal).
RingReports to Risk AcademyRisk Academy: taught in the open.
ReportsContribute

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