As the weather heats up, a swathe of provincial funding is being released to help communities cool down.
The North Shore’s five governments are among 36 communities across B.C. that are receiving some of the $1.9 million in funding from the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund, geared toward heat preparedness.
Targeted projects and strategies include heat-risk mapping, risk assessments, extreme-heat response plans and climate-adaptation planning.
A total of $120,000 in funding has been approved for the city and district of North Vancouver, Tsleil-Waututh Nation and the District of West Vancouver. That cash will go toward regional North Shore extreme heat vulnerability reduction, which includes socio-economic and cultural risk assessment and mapping.
Another $30,000 is going to Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) for extreme-heat risk planning.
Given the ongoing effects of climate change in B.C. and around the world, we need to ensure that we’re prepared to respond to extreme heat events now and in the future, Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said in a statement Wednesday (Sept. 14).
“This new funding will be critical in supporting communities to develop their own heat plans and to help protect people, the local environment and local economy from the risks posed by extreme heat,” he said.
The provincial preparedness fund is part of B.C.’s climate preparedness and adaptation strategy, which complements the BC Heat Alert and Response System that launched this year.
As Environment Canada declared heat warnings during this summer’s hottest weeks, North Shore Emergency Management collaborated with local municipalities to open cooling stations and raise awareness of how to cope with extreme heat.
According to the province, the $189-million fund is administered through the Union of BC Municipalities and supports programs that strengthen the resilience of First Nations and local governments to prepare for and respond to natural disasters and climate change.
“We know that heat events will continue to happen more often,” said Jennifer Rice, Parliamentary Secretary for Emergency Preparedness. “Preparing for and adapting to extreme heat is now a fundamental part of public safety in B.C., and this funding will help ensure communities across the province are climate ready.”
Since 2017, First Nations and local governments have received more than $50.8 million through the preparedness fund for more than 1,000 projects that help communities mitigate and prepare for climate-related emergencies, the province noted in Wednesday’s statement.
