Let renters and strata owners cool down their homes – this is the message from local health authorities.
With hotter summers, Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Coastal Health and Fraser Health are encouraging landlords of rental buildings and stratas to allow tenants to install air-conditioning units.
These housing types have historically prevented the installation of air conditioning because of concerns about the building envelope, power consumption or esthetics, said Dr. Michael Schwandt, VCH Medical Health Officer. This was done through tenancy agreements or strata bylaws.
“However, summers are now getting hotter in the Lower Mainland and we all need to reconsider previous practices,” Schwandt said.
VCH noted that Western Canada is experiencing two degrees higher heat than in the 1940s, according to data from the federal government.
During the 2021 heat dome event, many who died lived alone in homes that didn’t have air conditioning.
B.C.’s provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, said high indoor temperatures can be dangerous to vulnerable people and people susceptible to heat-related illness.
The province has been experiencing longer periods of hot temperature with minimal cooling in the night, she noted.
“Ensuring people are able to access a cool place in their home or residence is important to prevent heat-related illness during these increasingly frequent heat events,” she said.
The was developed to help residents adapt to the changing climate, no matter what kind of housing they live in.
