Wildfire smoke, hot weather putting Vancouver's unhoused people at risk

Advocates express concerns after regional district issues warnings about Lower Mainland air

Unpleasant hot and smoky weather in Vancouver is prompting many to seek relief by retreating indoors — but that's often not an option for the city's unhoused population.

Earlier this week, smog from wildfires drifted over the Lower Mainland, prompting the Metro Vancouver Regional District to issue a yellow air quality warning for the area, indicating a high health risk.

In addition, Environment and Climate Change Canada has forecasted this year will be among the hottest on record. So far, temperatures have regularly hit the high 20s and 30s this summer in the Vancouver area.

"Maybe we can rely on being able to close a window, being able to have air filters running in our homes," said Sarah Chew, spokesperson for the Union Gospel Mission. "For a lot of people in the Downtown Eastside, that's just not a possibility."

She told CBC's Early Edition on Thursday the homeless count suggests thousands of people could be at risk of more exposure to smoky air.

Wildfires impacting air quality across southwest B.C.

Health issues observed from smoky air

People are coughing when they come into the Union Gospel Mission's drop-in centre, Chew said.

"Not only are they exposed to more air, more of the time during the day … they might potentially have overlapping chronic conditions," she added.

This could include health conditions, mental illness, substance use and addiction — making the effects of heat and smoke even more threatening to their health, she said.

"We think there's a need for more proactive communication and making sure that people know where to go when these things happen," said Chew, speaking about what kind of response she'd like from the City of Vancouver.

For its part, the City of Vancouver issued a written statement saying the municipality maintains a year-round plan for wildfire smoke conditions.

There are 24 community centres and 21 libraries that provide relief from wildfire smoke, according to the statement.

The city also said that when Metro Vancouver issues an air quality warning, the city takes additional measures based on advice from Vancouver Coastal Health.

That includes extending operational hours of cleaner air spaces and amplifying recommendations from the health authority.

Opposition councillor criticizes lack of cooling kits

During a prolonged heat wave in 2021, the B.C. Coroners Service reported that the event led to over 600 deaths in B.C. over five days.

Vancouver Coun. Lucy Maloney, of the OneCity slate, had previously pushed to reinstate a cooling kit program that had been discontinued earlier this year.

"We just want to avoid, however we can, another tragedy like the heat dome in 2021," Maloney told CBC News.

Councillor wants Vancouver's cool kit program reinstated ahead of hot summer forecast

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The kits — handed out to at-risk residents in the Downtown Eastside — included items like spray bottles, cooling towels, reusable water bottles, hats and gel packs.

By Maloney's account, her motion in May to bring back the program was gutted by the majority ABC Vancouver party and passed as an amended shadow of what it was.

"I'm deeply afraid for the health and well-being of some of the most vulnerable members of our community," she said.

CBC News sent a request for comment to the majority ABC party in response to Maloney's concerns.

It was then directed to the Office of the Mayor, which sent a written response.

"The health and safety of all Vancouverites during extreme heat and poor air quality is something the [city] takes seriously," said Mayor Ken Sim in the statement.

"That's why we made the decision to shift resources toward expanding city-wide cooling infrastructure, including cooling centres, misting stations, and drinking water access. These measures protect a far greater number of people during a heat event."

With files from The Early Edition