Vancouver City Council unanimously approved a plan to deal with extreme heat yesterday afternoon, which will include water trucks, cooling stations, and maps of the city’s “hot spots.”
But as Coun. Suzanne Anton points out, the plan emphasizes the need for citizens to look out for one another, particularly for vulnerable groups like the homeless and the elderly.
“The galvanizing incident was the unfortunate event in Grandview Park last June,” Anton said, referring to the death of Curtis Brick, a homeless man who died June 29, 2009 after lying in the park for several hours. The new Vancouver strategy follows similar measures taken in Toronto.
Vancouver is the first municipality in B.C. to implement this type of preparation.
