In collaboration with partners in communities across the province, BC Healthy Communities (BCHC) is continuing its speaker series to bring fresh ideas for healthy public policy to local and Indigenous government leaders in B.C. Healthy public policy is a powerful tool for local governments to meaningfully improve the lives of their constituents. As a part of these improved health and well-being outcomes, healthy public policies also positively impact issues directly within local government purview, including community safety, local economic activity, social service delivery, and sustainability.
The Creating Healthy Public Policy – Local Government Leaders Speaker Series continues with Equitable Extreme Heat Planning. This webinar was a collaboration with Northern Health Authority and other key decision-makers. Designed for local governments, regional districts and Indigenous communities, this session aimed to help northern communities plan for, and respond to, the next extreme heat event in northern B.C.
Climate change-related extreme weather patterns are becoming less predictable throughout the changing seasons, from atmospheric rivers, to fire clouds and heat domes. Northern B.C. has experienced an increase in weather-related emergencies with the 2017 and 2018 record-breaking wildfires and emergency evacuations and the fatal heat dome in 2021. There is a growing need for northern communities to establish emergency preparedness and response plans for extreme heat events.
