Evaluation of the Infectious Disease and Climate Change Program 2021-2022 to 2025-2026 

Final Report - Executive Summary and Management Response and Action Plan
February 2026
Prepared by the Office of Audit and Evaluation
Public Health Agency of Canada

On this page

• Executive summary
  • Background and evaluation scope         
  • Key findings
  • Recommendations
• Management Response and Action Plan
  • Recommendation 1

Executive summary

Background and evaluation scope

The Infectious Disease and Climate Change Program (IDCCP) focuses on preparing for and protecting people in Canada from climate-sensitive infectious diseases (CSID) of zoonotic, food-borne, or water-borne origin. Program activities include actions that stimulate public health innovation using a One Health approach by linking human, animal, and environmental health sectors and advancing climate change adaptation.

The Program delivers on federal commitments of the Government of Canada’s Adaptation Action Plan as part of the National Adaptation Strategy (NAS) on Climate Change, but it does not receive funding under the NAS. The IDCCP, including the Infectious Disease and Climate Change Fund (IDCCF), is set to sunset at the end of the 2027-2028 fiscal year, aligned with other time-limited climate change funding for other federal departments (e.g., Environmental and Climate Change Canada, Health Canada).

The evaluation assessed program impacts, effectiveness of resource allocation, use of data for evidence-based decision making within the Agency, as well as the clarity of roles and responsibilities of PHAC and its partners and stakeholders. 

The evaluation examined IDCCP activities undertaken by the Infectious Diseases and Vaccination Programs Branch (IDVPB) and the Climate Change Adaptation and Infectious Diseases Program activities undertaken by the National Microbiology Laboratory Branch (NMLB) between 2021-2022 to 2025-2026. It also included the activities of the Public Health Risk Sciences Division, formerly of the NMLB, which joined the Science and Policy Integration Branch (SPIB) as of April 1, 2025, and is now called the Modelling Hub.

The evaluation did not examine activities associated with food-borne and water-borne enteric diseases, as these will be evaluated in 2026, as well as antimicrobial resistance activities which will be evaluated in 2027.  

The evaluation findings were informed by evidence from interviews with PHAC employees, partners, and stakeholders; review of documents and knowledge products, including work plans, reports, performance data, communications materials, and financial information; review of grants and contribution agreements; review of academic and grey literature; an international comparison; and a survey of stakeholders and partners.

Key findings

Achievement of program outcomes

The IDCCP’s activities improved access to timely and accurate information, supported the development of enhanced systems and tools to support decision making, and fostered partnerships between PHAC and other One Health actors, including Indigenous communities, to improve CSID-related knowledge translation and to reduce the health effects of climate change. There is more work needed to improve knowledge of CSIDs and identify the most effective ways to improve preventive and protective behaviors.

Use of Program resources and clarity of roles and responsibilities

Resource allocation is evidence-informed and underpinned by a commitment to the needs of priority populations and target audiences. The COVID-19 pandemic slowed the implementation of some activities due to the reassignment of staff. Roles and responsibilities at the working level are clearly delineated among the lead branches, but the Program’s strategic planning and decision-making processes are less well-defined and have contributed to perceptions of unequal partnership roles. The Program has initiated measures to strengthen overall planning and coordination among responsible senior managers, in order to ensure a shared understanding of Program strategies and objectives.

Evidence-based decision making by internal and external partners

Through its cross-sectoral collaborations and partnerships with other One Health actors, including Indigenous communities, the Program supported the development of enhanced systems and tools to strengthen knowledge translation. Data-generating activities (e.g., monitoring, surveillance, modelling) and data management systems and tools like dashboards have enabled effective data sharing to support decision making among internal and external partners. While the Program has modernized and strengthened its surveillance systems and data management tools, there are opportunities to further enhance decision making by embedding equity considerations and building on a One Health approach by incorporating climate-related factors with population-level domestic animal and wildlife data across surveillance systems and activities. This would require substantial coordinated efforts and resources among multiple governmental and non-governmental partners, which go beyond the Program’s current mandate.

Recommendations

The IDCCP has made progress toward achieving its medium-term and long-term outcomes but there is an opportunity to further improve implementation and climate resiliency by Canadians.

Recommendation 1: Collaborate with partners to address knowledge gaps and improve adoption of preventive and protective behaviours.

The Program fostered the development of systems and tools to support evidence-based decision making and knowledge translation. It also improved access to timely and accurate information about CSIDs, but there remain some important knowledge gaps, namely:

• The impact of enhanced systems and tools and awareness activities on preventive and protective behaviours;
• Interventions aimed at bridging the knowledge-action gap on preventive behaviours; and
• Impact of CSIDs on priority populations including Indigenous communities.

PHAC can further advance the goals of the IDCCP by collaborating with partners to explore and address knowledge gaps, with recognition that actions by a range of government and multi-sector partners can influence adoption of preventive and protective behaviours.

Management Response and Action Plan

Recommendation 1

Collaborate with partners to address knowledge gaps and improve adoption of preventive and protective behaviours.

Management response

Management agrees with the recommendation. PHAC will continue to seek collaborative opportunities to address knowledge gaps and strengthen the adoption of preventive and protective behaviours—both in current and upcoming initiatives noting that the Infectious Disease and Climate Change (IDCC) Program is set to sunset in March 2028.

Table 1: Action plan for Recommendation 1

Action Plan	Deliverables	Expected Completion Date	Accountability	Resources
PHAC will leverage the Infectious Disease and Climate Change Fund to provide funding for First Nations, Inuit and Métis community-driven initiatives to build capacity and resiliency, and mobilize evidence and raise awareness to take action.	Funding agreements signed with recipients focused on community-driven initiatives that integrate Indigenous knowledge with Western science, emphasize cultural response, integrate Indigenous cultures, values, traditions and knowledge to raise awareness, build capacity, empower Indigenous communities and drive action on climate change, infectious diseases and human health and will also augment health professional capacity through the development of public health tools, training, and better resources.	Signing of agreements by Q4 (January 2026)	Director General, Centre for Food-borne, Environmental and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases	$3.3M over three years (2025/26 to 2027/28)
The Program, in collaboration with the Communications and Public Affairs Branch (CPAB), will adapt awareness resources and identify new partnerships to strengthen the reach and impact of zoonotic disease prevention messaging. Activities will be informed by analytics, public opinion research (POR), and behavioural insights, with a focus on improving knowledge and adoption of preventive behaviours among priority populations.	Deliverable 1 Develop a partnership engagement plan that identifies and works with external partners (e.g., Parks Canada, provincial/territorial parks, outdoor organizations, educational institutions, and relevant retailers) to promote and disseminate key zoonotic disease prevention messages to target audiences, including priority populations. Deliverable 2 Adapt and tailor existing Lyme disease awareness and prevention resources, guided by behavioural insights to ensure relevance and accessibility for priority populations, and distribute these resources through new and existing channels.	March 31, 2027	Director General, Centre for Foodborne Environmental and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases Director General,   Communications and Public Affairs Branch	Existing resources