It’s finally feeling like summer in Metro Vancouver, but the warmer weather comes with safety concerns, especially for the region's most vulnerable.
With daytime highs expected to reach the mid-20s on Friday and over the weekend, the City of Vancouver has launched a number of initiatives in preparation for the hot days ahead, including installing a dozen temporary water fountains across the city.
“It’s so beautiful, I need it,” said Brian Thompson, a resident of the Downtown Eastside. “It’s so warm!”
The fountains have been set up in areas to benefit the elderly, the very young and those who are homeless.
"The city is implementing a number of steps this year to ensure that people are not adversely affected by heat, including increasing access to drinking water,” said Kirsten Jasper, the city's manager of operational readiness.
Staff are also setting up misting stations at more than a dozen parks over the next several weeks. If a heat warning is used by Environment Canada cooling stations will also open.
"We have ten air conditioned community centres across the city that are ready to post signage and accept members of the public and visitors to come in cool off and take a break from the heat,” explained Jasper.
Air quality has also become increasingly problematic over the last several years.
"Carnegie Community Centre, the Gathering Place, the Central Library and the Mount Pleasant community centre are participating in a pilot program,” Jasper told CTV News.
Those centres house high-efficiency air filters to help people with respiratory issues breathe easy. But those hoping to escape the heat at the beach may be out of luck.
"We've already seen some beach closures as a result of reduced water quality,” said Darren Peterson, Manager of Recreation at the Vancouver Park Board.
Trout Lake has been closed since last week because of high levels of E. coli. Water quality is also a concern in False Creek.
"There are multiple reasons for pollution, one of them being boats and discharges from boats,” said Jimmy Zammar, director of integrated strategy and utilities planning at the City of Vancouver.
The city is now offering free sewage pump-out service to help mitigate that.
Health officials say the real danger is being unaware.
"Watch out for your neighbours. That's how we make our city and neighbourhoods more resilient,” urged Dr. James Lu, Medical Health Officer of Vancouver Coastal Health.
Environment Canada’s threshold for a heat warning is when temperatures reach 29 degrees Celsius in the daytime and 16 degrees Celsius at nighttime for two consecutive nights.
