Close X
Thursday, November 14, 2024
ADVT 
National

B.C. to provide up to 8,000 free air conditioners to low-income, vulnerable people

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 27 Jun, 2023 03:39 PM
  • B.C. to provide up to 8,000 free air conditioners to low-income, vulnerable people

The British Columbia government is giving its Crown power utility $10 million to provide up to 8,000 free air-conditioning units to vulnerable people. 

A death review panel by the BC Coroners Service found that most of the 619 people who died in B.C.'s heat dome event in 2021 were low-income and vulnerable people who were aged 60 or older. 

One of the key recommendations from the panel was that the government provide air-conditioning units to those living in single-room apartments.

Health Minister Adrian Dix said Tuesday that the funding to BC Hydro will provide up to 8,000 air-conditioning units over the next three years, but if demand increases, that number could also go up. 

Dix said people can apply for the units on their own or health officials working with elderly people will be able to help them get a unit. 

Hydro president Chris O'Reilly said the utility will also offer all customers $50 off purchases of qualified, energy-saving air-conditioning units.

The death review panel released last June said most of those who died had compromised health and lived alone.

Dix said the program is a good and necessary step. 

"This is, by standards on the Pacific coast anyway, an ambitious program that will help keep people safe," said Dix, noting that cities such as Montreal and Chicago have previously experienced deadly heat events.

"What we have here is a comprehensive response," he said. 

MORE National ARTICLES

Teen driver arrested for going double the speed limit

Teen driver arrested for going double the speed limit
A B-C Highway Patrol officer says the teen was travelling at a speed of up to 209 kilometres per hour in a 100 kilometres per hour zone last week. The driver is facing multiple charges and is set to appear in court next month.

Teen driver arrested for going double the speed limit

Pedestrian killed in Vancouver’s Chinatown

Pedestrian killed in Vancouver’s Chinatown
The city's police say a woman was crossing near Main and Georgia streets when she was struck just before 12:30 p-m. They say the driver is co-operating with the investigation.  

Pedestrian killed in Vancouver’s Chinatown

BC to invest in newcomers

BC to invest in newcomers
The provincial government will spend nearly 26-million dollars annually for settlement services to help newcomers succeed in their new communities.  That's an increase from six-million dollars the province had previously provided. 

BC to invest in newcomers

10 cars vandalized: New Westminster Police

10 cars vandalized: New Westminster Police
When officers arrived on scene they found ten vehicles had been sprayed with orange and blue paint. Officers collected evidence and began canvassing the area for CCTV footage.

10 cars vandalized: New Westminster Police

B.C. company expands antibody research, production facilities for second time

B.C. company expands antibody research, production facilities for second time
B.C. Premier David Eby said the expansion project will create more than 400 jobs, while ensuring world-leading medicines are developed in Canada for Canadians and people globally.

B.C. company expands antibody research, production facilities for second time

Surrey, B.C., municipal police force calls for clarity over future

Surrey, B.C., municipal police force calls for clarity over future
An open letter from the Surrey Police Service says the ongoing debate over whether the city transitions to using a municipal force or returns to the RCMP means employees are increasingly distracted by worries about their futures. The letter calls for "a clear and safe path forward for policing in Surrey."

Surrey, B.C., municipal police force calls for clarity over future