The sa国际传媒 government is tripling a program that offers free air conditioners to people with low incomes amid predictions that much of June will see hotter-than-normal temperatures.
Minister of Energy Josie Osborne told a news briefing that the program, launched last year and managed by sa国际传媒 Hydro, had already handed out 6,000 air conditioners, and the government is prepared to fund another 19,000 or so, with $20 million in new money.
“We know that there’s more work that needs to be done, and we’re facing another hot, dry summer, and we don’t want anyone to be left behind,” she said.
The announcement came as an outlook from Environment sa国际传媒 said the first week of June will be cooler than normal across most of sa国际传媒 but the rest of the month is likely to feature above-normal temperatures.
The longer-term outlook for June to August shows a high probability of above-normal temperatures across the sa国际传媒 Interior and “moderate probabilities” of near-normal temperatures on the coast.
Environment sa国际传媒 meteorologist Armel Castellan, based in Victoria, said that in the near term the south coast “is definitely in the crosshairs” for cooler-than-normal temperatures through Tuesday, on the heels of recent cool conditions. “There should be a good shot of wind and a good shot of rain.”
Things could heat up considerably beyond that, into 20 C days or higher, but the predictive weather models are not conclusive, Castellan said.
It should take a few weeks to determine more precisely what will happen in July, he said.
The City of Victoria has 13 misting stations set up around the municipality and will activate them as needed during hot weather.
Health Minister Adrian Dix told the briefing on Friday that the province’s residential tenancy branch had updated its air-conditioning policy to make it clear that landlords cannot ban air-conditioning units in rental agreements “without a rational basis, such as a safety concern.”
“We are strongly encouraging strata corporations and landlords to work together with their tenants to ensure air-conditioning units are safely installed to keep people cool and safe,” Dix said.
June’s outlook indicated a probability of below-normal precipitation across the sa国际传媒 Interior as the month unfolds.
Dr. Bonnie Henry, the provincial health officer, said people should prepare for the heat by identifying those in their family who are more at risk and know where they can go to cool down.
“Early in the season, we haven’t yet had time to acclimatize to the heat, we’re more likely to experience ill-health effects from the heat when it comes,” she said.
Elderly, young people, those with chronic illnesses and people who are pregnant are particularly at risk.
“We want everybody in our province, and visitors to sa国际传媒, to be able to enjoy the summer ahead, to spend time outdoors, to spend time with family and friends enjoying everything we have to offer,” she said.
“But we need to do that safely and the time to prepare is now.”
The province is setting up systems to broadcast emergency alerts if dangerously high temperatures are expected.
> Go to bchydro.com/powersmart for more information about the air conditioner program
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