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Five years after B.C.'s deadly heat dome, lessons learned and ongoing concerns
🇨🇦 Canada /Disasters & Emergencies

Five years after B.C.'s deadly heat dome, lessons learned and ongoing concerns

From Global News · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • British Columbia is marking five years since a deadly heat dome that caused over 600 deaths across the province.
  • Many of the victims were seniors and isolated individuals living in apartments without adequate ventilation or cooling.
  • The city of New Westminster has implemented measures to improve first responder preparedness and building retrofits, while a new report urges WorkSafeBC to strengthen heat protection regulations for workers.

Five years ago, British Columbia experienced its deadliest weather disaster: a five-day heat dome that claimed over 600 lives. New Westminster alone saw 33 deaths, primarily among seniors and isolated residents. Mayor Patrick Johnstone highlighted the critical challenge of nighttime heat, explaining that many victims lived in apartments that failed to cool down, leading to heat exhaustion and death during sleep.

It was the largest weather disaster in Canada’s history.

— Patrick JohnstoneNew Westminster Mayor Patrick Johnstone described the scale of the heat dome event.

"It was that a lot of people lived in apartments where they didn’t cool down at night and folks who were isolated and didn’t even know they were in trouble, that kind of persistent heat can … surprise people and they might not even have known they were really in trouble," Johnstone said. He noted that inadequate ventilation in apartments was a major contributing factor.

In response, New Westminster has taken steps to better equip first responders with cool kits and is assisting building managers in retrofitting older buildings to improve ventilation. The provincial government is also updating building codes for new constructions. However, many older, lower-cost buildings still require significant upgrades.

It was that a lot of people lived in apartments where they didn’t cool down at night and folks who were isolated and didn’t even know they were in trouble, that kind of persistent heat can … surprise people and they might not even have known they were really in trouble.

— Patrick JohnstoneMayor Patrick Johnstone explained the specific challenges faced by residents in apartments during the heat dome.

Meanwhile, a new report from the University of Victoria is calling on WorkSafeBC to enhance its heat exposure regulations for workers, arguing that current rules are outdated and insufficient. "What we learned in our research is that there’s a fundamental problem with current B.C. regulations to protect workers from heat exposure," said Anelyse Weiler, a co-author of the report. The report recommends implementing a "trigger temperature approach" to establish clear temperature thresholds for heat-related protections.

What we learned in our research is that there’s a fundamental problem with current B.C. regulations to protect workers from heat exposure.

— Anelyse WeilerAnelyse Weiler, an associate professor at the University of Victoria and co-author of a new report, discussed the shortcomings of current heat protection regulations.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Global News in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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