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City of Nanaimo, Sunshine Coast Regional District to receive heat preparedness funding

Preparing to beat the heat in Vancouver Island and Sunshine Coast communities will be made easier with provincial funding.

The city of Nanaimo will receive $30,000 for extreme heat risk mapping, and the Sunshine Coast Regional District – including Gibsons, Sechelt, and Sechelt Indian Government District – will get $120,000 to develop an extreme heat plan.

According to the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM), extreme heat risk mapping is a tool that allows communities to map extreme heat events, find populations at risk and find weak points with extreme heat.

The findings can be used to help develop an extreme heat plan to aid specific populations or make targeted responses, according to the union.

The city and district are among 36 communities, including First Nations, in B.C. that will be receiving funding. It is being provided through almost $1.9 million from the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund.

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The fund totals $189 million and is administered through the UBCM.

Parliamentary secretary for emergency preparedness Jennifer Rice says the funding will be necessary to take steps and prepare for worse events in the future.

“We know that heat events will continue to happen more often, so we are taking action to help our communities get prepared and have the necessary resources to deal with these extreme situations,” said Rice.

“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.”

The Climate Preparedness and Adaptation Strategy is supported by more than $500 million in Budget 2022, according to the provincial government.

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