Heat dome lessons five years on: B.C. beefs up vulnerable-resident protections
New Westminster and other cities have installed misting stations and expanded training. The 2021 heat event killed 619 British Columbians.
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Five years after British Columbia's deadly 2021 heat dome claimed 619 lives, the province has overhauled how it prepares for extreme heat. Over 98 percent of those deaths occurred indoors among vulnerable people living alone, many of them seniors.
New Westminster has been among the most active in response. The city has identified vulnerable buildings and residents, expanded heat-related training for first responders, and installed 13 misting stations. Mayor Patrick Johnstone says the city also introduced a new by-law in spring that mandates landlords maintain safe temperatures in at least one room of a tenant's apartment.
"These aren't free investments, these aren't cheap for the city to do, but it's important because it keeps alive and vulnerable people in our community alive," Johnstone said.
Provincially, the BC Centre for Disease Control says the response has changed dramatically. A provincial Heat Committee now meets regularly to monitor forecasts, while improvements to the home health-care system help identify and check on vulnerable residents living alone.
"Many of those people would likely still be alive today if that event had not occurred," said Sarah Henderson, Scientific Director of Environmental Health at the BCCDC. Officials stress that preparation must continue—another extreme heat event could arrive sooner rather than later. "It's not a question of if, it's a question of when," Henderson said.