BC Housing disabled cooling devices at some sites over costs
BC Housing has now admitted that some of the social and subsidized housing sites it operates have been without cooling systems for years after they restricted heat pumps at four locations.
The agency, which builds, operates and finances housing for predominantly poor, disabled or senior residents, said as a result of CTV News enquiries on the matter earlier this month they “took immediate action to resolve this” and are now scrambling to restore the cooling function as the weather heats up again.
CTV News has also asked for confirmation that the heat pump functions were limited during last year’s heat dome, and while they did not address that question directly, the agency said it did not look at the cooling function for hundreds of units until it was brought it to their attention earlier this month, suggesting cooling was unavailable during the deadliest hot weather event in Canadian history.
“We looked into this issue and identified four BC Housing heat pump retrofit sites with heat pumps with inactive cooling functions,” wrote a BC Housing spokesperson of the residential complexes in Vancouver and Surrey.
“Cooling functions have already been restored at one location and work is currently underway to complete assessments and repairs required to restore heat pump cooling functions at the remaining three sites, which total 179 units.”
After repeated interview requests from CTV News were turned down, BC Housing provided their vice-president late Thursday afternoon, who said that when the heat pumps were installed in the decades-old housing developments around 2010, excessive heat was not a concern.
“These are low-rise buildings where yes, it’s uncomfortable and it's hot like it might be in your home, but that's not where we're seeing deaths occur,” said VP of operations Dale McCann, revealing that those with doctors’ notes had the function enabled.
He insisted that it was the tenants themselves who complained about site-wide temperature controls that saw all units paying more in hot weather, and that “many of the tenants were actually concerned about the cost of electricity in their units, and at the time it was not deemed that cooling was a high priority.”
He did not explain why the policy wasn’t revisited before the heat dome, despite the unprecedented warning, but insisted that no one died during that heat wave in the four complexes in question.
CONTRADICTORY STATEMENT FROM HOUSING MINISTRY
The communications manager for the attorney general and minister responsible for housing later emailed to say, “The cooling function of the heat pumps at the four sites had been inactive since the heat pumps were installed in 2010/11” but that’s at odds with the document that prompted the scrutiny.
A joint 2017 report for the City of Vancouver, the University of British Columbia and the Greenest City Initiative cited BC Housing officials who told the author “heat pumps at (one Vancouver seniors complex) are set to only provide heating, not cooling” and that in a cost-saving move, “BC Housing has disabled the cooling function at other heat pump retrofit sites.”
The then-energy manager for BC Housing was quoted as saying, “They were only supposed to provide cooling above 27 C outside” but did not describe what the indoor temperature in an older building would’ve been.
The quotes and policy have not been disputed by BC Housing, and in fact, McCann said some of the heat pumps are so old, it may not be possible to enable the cooling function and they may need to be replaced.
Last month, a long-awaited report into heat dome deaths by the BC Coroners Service determined 98 per cent of the 619 deaths during the record-breaking heat wave happened indoors. Most of those who died were seniors and people with chronic health issues “without adequate cooling systems.”
WHO’S ACCOUNTABLE?
A tenant in one of the impacted buildings spoke to CTV News on condition of anonymity, explaining that he and other tenants are fearful of repercussions if they speak up. He said that for years they’ve been complaining about cooling issues and expressed frustration that successive housing ministers haven’t responded to his concerns.
Two weeks ago, then-minister responsible, David Eby, axed and replaced much of BC Housing’s board in a shakeup after a review of "organizational capacity and financial systems” found roles and responsibilities at the agencies were unclear and recommended that “strategic planning and prioritization should inform spending requests” among other measures.
Staff for Eby, who has stepped down from his cabinet position as he seeks the leadership of the B.C. NDP, referred us to the interim minister responsible for housing. But acting Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Housing Murray Rankin’s office has not replied to a request for an interview.
Finance Minister Selina Robinson was housing minister from 2017 to 2020 and when asked about the disabled cooling functions, said “I'm not as familiar with the file at this point but at the time I wasn't aware of those actions."
McCann said that since the heat dome tragedy, BC Housing is looking at better designing future developments to withstand high summer temperatures, and that they’re doing more in the meantime as well, with misting stations and air conditioning in some common areas.
“We're doing wellness checks on residents, identifying the most vulnerable,” he said .”There’s been a lot of work that has been done and a lot of work still to do in the future.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
What Canadians think of the latest Liberal budget
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Her fiance has been in prison for 49 years. She's trying to free him before it's too late
Christine Roess is a retired consultant. Ezra Bozeman has spent the last 49 years in prison, serving a life sentence for a murder he says he didn’t commit. Against the odds, the two fell in love.