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

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

The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada is holding a rally in downtown Ottawa today to denounce cuts at Environment and Climate Change Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Natural Resources Canada.

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

Just over 700 fires are burning across Canada, the national wildland fire summary indicates, and early estimates suggest wildfires raging in northern Ontario have pushed the province to its worst wildfire season on record.