Quick links
- PreparedBC: Be prepared for extreme heat
- City of Victoria: Extreme heat (information and cooling centres)
- District of Saanich: Stay cool at home in extreme heat
- VISOA 2022 Survey results: 2021 heatwave and housing adaptation
Extreme heat
Extreme heat is a hot topic among BC strata owners. Most of the 619 deaths attributed to the 2021 heat dome resulted from excessive indoor temperatures in private residences. As one doctor noted, “People don’t die because it is hot outside; they die because it is hot inside.” Without cooling, the heat inside a home can accumulate each day.
A report prepared for the BC Coroner’s Service found that most people who died during the 2021 heat dome were elderly, had a disability, lived in poorer neighbourhoods, or lived alone.
Health risks
Everyone is at risk of heat-related illness but hot temperatures can be especially dangerous for young children, people who are pregnant, and those with health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, respiratory conditions, and cancer as these illnesses can reduce the body’s ability to cool. People with conditions such as schizophrenia, depression, and dementia are at risk as they may have a reduced awareness of risks.
Temperatures of 26°C or less are generally safe. For people susceptible to heat, sustained exposure to temperatures from 26°C to 31°C may pose a risk. Sustained exposure to temperatures higher than 31°C can be dangerous and potentially deadly.
Signs of heat exhaustion include heavy sweating, nausea, muscle cramps, headache, fatigue, weakness, dizziness, and extreme thirst. If you are experiencing these symptoms, health authorities suggest taking immediate steps to cool down such as submerging in cool water, applying wet cloths, seeking a cooler environment, and drinking plenty of water. Call HealthLinkBC at 811 to speak with a nurse or go to an urgent care centre or clinic if you can do so safely.
Heat stroke is a medical emergency. If someone is experiencing symptoms, call 911. Signs of heat stroke include a high body temperature, hot flushed skin, fainting, loss of consciousness, disorientation, confusion, severe nausea or vomiting, and low, very dark urine. Move the person to a cooler area if possible. Apply cool, wet towels or ice packs around the body until emergency services arrive.
Tips to stay cool
In the quick links you’ll find resources from the City of Victoria, District of Saanich, PreparedBC and more. These resources offer tips for planning and staying safe.
Make a plan:
- Temperatures can be hotter inside than outside. Find an air-conditioned space or shaded outdoor location close by where you can cool off on hot days.
- If you have an air conditioner or fan, make sure it works.
- Ask a family member, neighbour, or friend to check on you on very hot days in case you need help.
- Identify people who may be at high risk for heat-related illness. If possible, help them prepare for heat and plan to check in on them especially during the evening when indoor temperatures are highest.
During hot weather:
- Block the sun by closing curtains or blinds during the day.
- Open your windows at night to let cooler air into your home
- Close windows, curtains, and blinds during the heat of the day to block the sun and to prevent hotter outdoor air from coming inside.
- Open doors and windows when it is cooler outside.
- Use fans to draw cooler late-evening, overnight and early-morning air indoors.
- Sleep in the coolest room of the house, even if it’s not your bedroom. This may provide relief to the body overnight.
- Make meals that don’t need to be cooked in an oven.
- Drink plenty of water, even if you’re not thirsty.
- Take cool showers or baths.
- When outside, stay in the shade.
- Spend time at cooling centres in your community such as libraries, community centres, or shopping malls.
- If possible, stay with a friend or relative who has air conditioning.
Helping others
Are you checking in with susceptible people to see how they are coping? The National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health (NCCEH) designed a tool to help you recognize heat-related illness, or what to do in risky situations.
Does your strata building have a common room such as a meeting room or library? Consider adding an air conditioner so that residents who don’t have air conditioners or heat pumps have a place to go to cool off on hot days.
Some stratas have purchased sun shelter canopies to create a shaded area outdoors.
Heat pumps and air conditioners
Some strata corporations have bylaws that prohibit heat pumps and air conditioners. Be aware that some residents may be medically heat vulnerable. For example when the temperature goes up, the heart has to work harder to keep the body cool. If a resident has a proven medical condition that requires accommodation under the Human Rights Code, they could be exempt from a bylaw prohibiting heat pumps and air conditioners. The facts of each situation may vary and will need to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Since portable air conditioners are not a permanent installation and do not penetrate the building envelope, they could be a temporary solution to keep residents safe during extreme heat events. Learn more about handling requests for heat pumps and air conditioners in stratas.
Member-only resources
Log in to your account to access the following resources. *Indicates a resource for corporate members only.
- Handling requests for heat pumps and air conditioners in stratas (slides)
- Handling requests for heat pumps and air conditioners in stratas (transcript and case law)*
- Coming soon: Extreme heat – a checklist for strata councils*
