A Hot Topic: Addressing Heat Vulnerability in the Capital Regional District (CRD)
Erica Dolman, Dr. Sarah Marie Wiebe, and Kirsten Mah
Monthly podcast. Next episode on Monday, April 27.
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From June 25 to July 1, 2021, British Columbia (BC) experienced Canada’s most deadly heat event with 619 deaths (BC Coroners’ Service, 2022). Most communication efforts by community service providers and governments addressed those that passed away, or those with single-unit family homes who were able to install heat pumps and modify their dwellings to deal with the extreme heat. Our research team found that there was a whole population of people between these two populations, those that are members of priority populations, who disproportionately suffered during the heat dome. In the context of this podcast, priority populations, includes but is not limited to, socially isolated seniors, those with perinatal lived experience, such as pregnant or nursing people, Indigenous people, those living rurally, and those that take medication that may make them sensitive to extreme heat. This podcast explores how the storytelling of priority populations’ lived experiences of extreme heat events may serve as a climate change communication tool to communicate with local policy- and decision-makers in the Capital Regional District (CRD) of British Columbia, Canada to result in more equitable policy outcomes tailored to the needs of these populations. Each episode tells the story of one member of a priority populations who has been disproportionately affected by extreme heat events, such as the heat dome, including the barriers they experience, and possible solutions to address the gaps in local policymaking that may be exacerbating existing inequities for this middle population.
6 episodes • 0 archived •