Building Collaborative Knowledge of Extreme Heat Responses in Vancouver

A New Resource for a Resilient Vancouver

As cities face more frequent and more severe extreme weather events, the need for community-driven heat preparedness has never been more vital. In response to this challenge, WTC partnered with Tamarack Institute and UBC Sustainability Scholars to create a dynamic resource designed to facilitate knowledge-sharing and collaboration amongst organizations addressing extreme heat in Vancouver and surrounding areas.

Explore the Heat Preparedness Resource

This resource consolidates heat preparedness initiatives of grassroots organizations, large nonprofits, and government agencies. Responses range from material support, like providing cooling kits, to outreach identifying at-risk populations, research partnerships, and advocacy and coalition-building initiatives.

By fostering collaboration and information-sharing, we hope to enhance coordination to support community-driven solutions to the climate emergency—including organizing around policy asks that keep vulnerable populations safe during extreme heat.

Why We Created This Resource

Extreme heat poses a significant and growing threat to Vancouver’s most vulnerable communities. Many organizations are already doing incredible work to address these challenges, but as with many emerging challenges, there is a need for more collaboration and knowledge-sharing. This resource was developed to bridge those gaps and encourage collective action by providing:

• An overview of existing heat responses

• Actionable resources for front-line organizations

• Contact information for key organizations

• A space for ongoing contributions and updates to keep the resource relevant

How to Use the Resource

This online resource contains four key sections:

• Heat responses by grassroots organizations

• Heat responses by larger nonprofits and agencies

• Heat responses by government organizations

• An overview and instructions for using the resource

To make the most effective use of this resource, follow these three steps: 

1. UTILIZE: Identify organizations and resources that meet your needs and use the provided contacts to get more information or support. 

2. COLLABORATE: Collaborate with other organizations to share strategies and resources and work together to address gaps in heat response efforts. 

3. CONTRIBUTE: Contribute to the continuous improvement of this resource by providing updates, corrections, or additional information through this google form.

So far, we’ve compiled the efforts of 60+ organizations working across Vancouver and surrounding areas. The resource will be regularly updated to ensure it reflects the latest developments in extreme heat responses across the region.

Join Us in Building a Resilient Vancouver

See the Project Summary to learn about:

• The background behind this project and key contributors

• The process of creating the resource

• Observations about gaps in the heat preparedness landscape, such as gender and emergency planning, considerations for people with disabilities, linguistic barriers, and tenant protections

Go to Project Summary

As we continue to adapt to a changing climate, collective action is essential. We invite you to engage with this resource, share it with your networks, and contribute your knowledge and experiences. Together, we can build a safer, more resilient Vancouver in the face of extreme heat.

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We would like to thank Tamarack Institute and UBC Sustainability Scholars for supporting this project.