DTES advocates looking for water, sunscreen donations for unhoused as city swelters
As the first sustained heat of the season settles in across British Columbia’s south coast, Environment and Climate Change Canada has issued a special weather statement advising people of high temperatures and humidex values through Monday.
Saturday temperatures reached 31 degrees in parts of the Fraser Valley Saturday but it was cooler along the coast where many people packed Vancouver’s beaches to take advantage of the rising temperatures.
"I think if it stays like this for the next two or three months it will be just wonderful,” said Rogayeh Tabrizi as she strolled the sea wall in Stanley Park.
The above average temperatures do have some people concerned and that is why ECCC issued the special weather statement.
"According to the epidemiologists at BC CDC and health authorities, the first heat of the season has an impact in terms of affecting susceptible populations, the at-risk populations," said Armel Castellan, an extreme weather meteorologist with ECCC.
One year ago this week, hundreds of people in B.C. died as the province sweltered under an unprecedented heat dome.
Many of the people who lost their lives were seniors or people with compromised immune systems living alone in apartments with no air conditioning.
Saturday, on the Downtown Eastside, staff with the Overdose Prevention Society handed out free bottles of water in an effort to keep people hydrated – and alive.
"Some folks are drug users and sometimes they’re having an overdose,"said OPS’s Sarah Blyth. "And you don’t want to have heatstroke-slash-overdose. It’s just so complicated."
OPS is asking for donations of water, Gatorade, hats and sunscreen that can be distributed to people living on the streets who may be particularly susceptible to the risks associated with extreme weather
Donations can be dropped off at 41 East Hastings Street.
"Even on the best of days people are dying down here," Blyth said. "So, when it gets really hot or it gets really cold it creates more challenges for people."
Municipalities across the region have also opened cooling centres so people can access air conditioning.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.