Better preparing Northeast communities for extreme heat: Public Health mobilizes its partners
Vitalité Health Network, Thursday, September 17, 2026 – Vitalité Health Network’s Public Health Department is working with communities and various partners across Northeastern New Brunswick to better understand the risks associated with increasing extreme heat and to implement adaptation measures to protect the public.
The Adaptation aux chaleurs extrêmes : Nord-Est du Nouveau-Brunswick (Adapting to Extreme Heat: Northeastern New Brunswick) project aims to reduce the impacts of extreme heat in the communities of Restigouche, Chaleur, and the Acadian Peninsula. Specifically, it will help identify the most vulnerable populations and sectors, mobilize communities, and promote the implementation of tangible measures to reduce the impacts of extreme heat on health.
Episodes of extreme heat associated with climate change present a significant risk. They can lead to dehydration, heat stroke, worsening of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, and even death. Extreme heat can also degrade air quality, place increased pressure on drinking water resources, and increase the risk of waterborne or environmentally transmitted diseases. Health risks disproportionately affect certain groups, including seniors, young children, people living with chronic illnesses, individuals with low incomes, and people who live alone.
The Turcotte Géoconseil firm has already completed an important first step in the project by developing a vulnerability map designed to identify the most vulnerable groups and sectors and to help guide future interventions.
This fall, community engagement sessions will be held to develop a regional plan for adapting to extreme heat. With the support of the applied research expertise from INNOV at the Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick (CCNB) and the Gespe’gewa’gi Institute of Natural Understanding (GINU), this plan will include tangible adaptation measures grounded in both evidence and the lived experiences of communities in Northeastern New Brunswick.
Municipalities will also partner with the Association francophone des municipalités du Nouveau-Brunswick (AFMNB) to promote the implementation of adaptation measures, such as the creation of cooling spaces, the greening of municipal properties, the creation of community green spaces, and the adaptation of municipal emergency infrastructure.
“Episodes of extreme heat have had and will continue to have real consequences for our member municipalities, particularly in terms of infrastructure, public spaces, and public safety. The AFMNB is pleased to collaborate on this project to better equip its members and strengthen the resilience of their communities in the face of this climate-related hazard, which is a significant public health concern,” said Clément Mousset, Sustainable Development Coordinator at the AFMNB.
Similarly, GINU will help build partnerships with Indigenous communities to ensure their lived experiences and perspectives inform the project.
Mathilde Thériault, Health Promoter with Vitalité Health Network Public Health and project manager, emphasized the importance of this collaboration: “This project will provide a better understanding of the vulnerabilities and health risks associated with exposure to extreme heat. Direct collaboration with a range of partners will support the development of a regional adaptation plan with solutions tailored to the realities of communities in Northeastern New Brunswick. This multisector collaboration, bringing together the health sector, specialized partners, municipalities, and Indigenous communities, will help our communities become more resilient to climate change.”
The Adaptation aux chaleurs extrêmes : Nord-Est du Nouveau-Brunswick (Adapting to Extreme Heat: Northeastern New Brunswick) project is a collaborative effort involving the AFMNB, GINU, the CCNB’s INNOV innovation and applied research centres, and Turcotte Géoconseil. It receives support from Health Canada’s Climate Change and Health Capacity Building Program.
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For all media inquiries:
Vitalité Health Network
INNOV, the innovation and applied research centres of the Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick (CCNB)
Association francophone des Municipalités du Nouveau-Brunswick (AFMNB)
