Canada Spends Logo
Follow Build Canada

Explore our Budget 2026 analysis

Program directory · Environment and Climate Change Canada

Meteorological Services

Program code
BGU03 (EC)
Core responsibility
Predicting Weather and Environmental Conditions
In Departmental Plans
2026-27 – 2026-27 · New since an earlier plan

What it does

The Meteorological Services Program provides timely and authoritative weather and environmental information to help Canadians and public authorities make informed decisions that support the health, safety, and prosperity of Canadians. Using a combination of real-time monitoring, predictive modelling, and outreach, the Program delivers forecasts, extreme weather alerts, air quality updates, and specialized services such as aviation, marine and ice information, and support for environmental emergency response. Delivery of the Program relies on foundational research in climate, environmental, and atmospheric sciences.

The Program serves all Canadians, with customized services provided to government partners, emergency management organizations and industry stakeholders that depend on weather and environmental information.

Source: the department's Program Inventory, via GC InfoBase.

History and lineage

First appears in the Departmental Plans in 2026-27. The data does not record when a program was created; it may be older than its first appearance here, which is limited by the sources (program spending starts in 2010-11, Departmental Plans in 2018-19).

2018-192019-202020-212021-222022-232023-242024-252025-262026-272027-282028-29Hydrological Services 2018-19: $30.7MHydrological Services 2019-20: $36.4MHydrological Services 2020-21: $39.6MHydrological Services 2021-22: $41.2MHydrological Services 2022-23: $46.3MHydrological Services 2023-24: $46.2MHydrological Services 2024-25: $50.9MHydrological Services 2025-26: $47.5MHydrological Services 2026-27: $46.5MHydrological Services 2027-28: $46MMeteorological Services 2026-27: $219MMeteorological Services 2027-28: $223MMeteorological Services 2028-29: $224MHydrological ServicesMeteorological Services
Bars: spending by fiscal year (dark: actual; light: actual restated on the 2017-18 program structure; outlined: the latest plan's forecast; grey: related programs). Bands: each program in the lineage over the years it has data.
ProgramRelationYears with dataActual spending over those years
Hydrological ServicesEarlier program (name match, low confidence)2018-19 – 2027-28$291M
Meteorological ServicesThis program2026-27 – 2028-29—

Significant changes in scope and budget

Detected from the data: renames between plans, programs it appears to replace, merge with or split into (matched by name), year-over-year changes in spending of at least 25% and $5M, or in employees of at least 20% and 25 FTEs, linked budget measures, and results indicators added or dropped.

YearWhat changedSource
2023Budget 2023 measure “Hydro-Meteorological Services”: $271M in total over its years (linked to this program by name, a best-effort match).Budget 2023, PDF page 167
2026-27Appears to be split across: Hydrological Services; ec-bgu04Canada Spends name match across plans (an inference)

Success criteria

The program's indicators from its department's Departmental Results Framework: the target set in each year's plan, and the result reported the following year. Source: GC InfoBase.

Historical: targets against results

No results reported yet.

Current: the 2026-27 plan's targets

Average satisfaction of clients indicating that the service met or exceeded their expectations on a scale of 1 to 10
Expected result: Meteorological information and services meet the needs and expectations of Canadians and clients
8.52026-27

Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.

Report yearTargetDueResultStatus
2026-27≥ 8.52027—Planned
Number of active monthly users of Environment and Climate Change Canada's WeatherCAN App
Expected result: Meteorological information and services meet the needs and expectations of Canadians and clients
700,0002026-27

Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.

Report yearTargetDueResultStatus
2026-27≥ 700,0002027—Planned
Number of user sessions per year on weather.gc.ca
Expected result: Meteorological information and services meet the needs and expectations of Canadians and clients
410,000,0002026-27

Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.

Report yearTargetDueResultStatus
2026-27≥ 410,000,0002027—Planned
Percentage of public authorities agreeing that the weather and related information provided met their needs with respect to decision-making
Expected result: Canadian public authorities use authoritative meteorological and related information to make decisions about the health, safety, and prosperity of Canadians
90%2026-27

Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.

Report yearTargetDueResultStatus
2026-27≥ 90%2027—Planned
Percentage of severe marine weather events for which a warning was issued meeting or exceeding the target lead time for that type of event
Expected result: Canadians have timely access to authoritative weather and environmental services
72%2026-27

Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.

Report yearTargetDueResultStatus
2026-27≥ 72%2027—Planned
Percentage of severe weather events for which a warning was issued meeting or exceeding the target lead time for that type of event
Expected result: Canadians have timely access to authoritative weather and environmental services
56%2026-27

Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.

Report yearTargetDueResultStatus
2026-27≥ 56%2027—Planned
Percentage of the population in an area affected by significant weather events who report having been aware that a warning was issued for the event
Expected result: Canadians have information on weather-related risks and the appropriate actions needed to stay safe
80%2026-27

Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.

Report yearTargetDueResultStatus
2026-27≥ 80%2027—Planned
Percentage of the population of a warned area who report having seen or heard a recent weather warning and who took actions in response
Expected result: Canadians use authoritative meteorological, hydrological, and related information to make decisions about their health and safety
40%2026-27

Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.

Report yearTargetDueResultStatus
2026-27≥ 40%2027—Planned

Future goals: targets due after 2026-27

No targets with a later due date.

Spending and employees: planned against actual

Spending

2026-27: $219M2026-272027-28: $223M2027-282028-29: $224M2028-29
Outlined bar: planned in that year's Departmental Plan (dashed: the latest plan, for years not yet reported). Filled bar: actual.
Show the numbers
Fiscal yearPlannedActual
2026-27$219M—
2027-28$223M*—
2028-29$224M*—

Employees (FTEs)

2026-27: 1,5862026-272027-28: 1,5602027-282028-29: 1,5442028-29
Outlined bar: planned in that year's Departmental Plan (dashed: the latest plan, for years not yet reported). Filled bar: actual.
Show the numbers
Fiscal yearPlannedActual
2026-271,586—
2027-281,560*—
2028-291,544*—

Planned spending, plan by plan

Each row is one year's Departmental Plan and its forecast for the next three fiscal years; read a column down to see how the forecast for one year changed. The last row is what was actually spent. Click an amount for its source. Biggest changes in federal spending plans

Plan2026-272027-282028-29
2026-27 plan$219,487,690$223,439,631$223,659,558
Actual

Actual spending is from Departmental Results Reports and the Public Accounts, as published in GC InfoBase. FTEs are full-time equivalents.