Northern premiers call on Ottawa to increase funding to help address climate change

Canada’s territorial premiers are calling on the federal government to increase funding for clean energy projects and to adapt to climate change.

Yukon Premier Sandy Silver, Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok and Northwest Territories Premier Caroline Cochrane are meeting in Whitehorse this week for their annual Northern Premiers’ Forum.

They say in a joint statement that Canada’s territories are warming up three to four times faster than the global average and it is already affecting communities.

The statement says climate change is causing growing concerns about food security, health, public safety, the resilience of infrastructure and preservation of cultural identity.

It says the territories are doing their part, but more federal collaboration and investment is needed to meet climate action targets.

The Yukon government says in a separate news release that all the decisions reached at the forum will be raised later this summer at the Western Premiers’ Conference and at the Council of the Federation, when all Canada’s premiers gather.