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A vigil was held at the Vancouver Art Gallery Sunday marking two years since the heat dome of June 2021, one of the deadliest weather events in Canadian history.
619 boxes were carefully laid upon the gallery steps — each representing a life lost during the unprecedented heat — which persisted for days across the region.
Activists say after two years, many of the changes needed to protect people from heat disasters have yet to be implemented.
Living in comfortable temperatures is a basic right, according to organizer Derrick O’Keefe.
“98% of people died inside. That’s people dying in their own homes for no reason except the lack of political will,” O’Keefe told Global News.
“We have three demands: Funding and distributing air conditioning, setting and enforcing a maximum temperature [in buildings] and having 24-hour access to cooling centers.”
A report to the B.C. Coroners Service investigated the deaths experienced from June 25 to July 1, 2021. It found elderly and vulnerable people living without air conditioning made up the majority of victims.
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Nathan Davidowics is a senior who says the heat dome was tragic and is also calling on change from the government to come sooner.
“It’s not just once in 100 years, I think with climate change and everything, we’ll see more extreme weather every year,” Davidowics said.
The report also highlighting a delay in heat alerts issued by Environment Canada and the response from public agencies.
The same report also recommends changes to the province’s building codes to include active and passive cooling to all new and existing developments by 2024.
Last year, a study was published suggesting the 2021 heat dome was amplified by climate change and could become a once-in-10-year event if global temperatures aren’t kept below 2 C above the pre-industrial average.
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
