In summer 2021, Nanaimo faced an unprecedented heat dome like many other communities across the province. Local events in 2021 prompted the City of Nanaimo to create a coordinated strategy to deal with extreme heat weather events that were not currently addressed under the City of Nanaimo’s Emergency Response and Recovery Plan.
One of the gaps identified was the ability to support those most disproportionately at risk to extreme heat, especially those individuals not connected to formalized health or community support services. The BC Coroner's report (2022-JUN-7) highlights that most of the deceased were older adults with compromised health due to multiple chronic diseases who lived alone. Between June 25 and July 1, 2021, 11 individuals lost their lives in Nanaimo due to heat related causes.
In June 2022, the City applied for funding through UBCM’s Community Emergency Preparedness Fund to support extreme heat risk mapping, assessment and planning. These funds are being utilized to fund this project.