![]() ![]() The province recently put millions toward air conditioners for 8,000 vulnerable people and the housing ministry is currently looking at adding “cooling requirements” into the provincial Building Code through a proposed update that’s expected to come into force this December.Ī housing ministry spokesperson said the province is proposing all new homes provide one living space that is designed not to exceed 26 C – through elements like insulation, solar reflectivity or using cooling devices. “Renters may have lower air conditioning rates because landlords do not provide air conditioning or building regulations may prohibit its use,” StatsCan said. StatsCan said that aligns with previous research that observed lower AC rates in multi-family rental housing. Homeowners were more likely to have an air conditioner in B.C., Quebec, Ontario and the prairies. and the prairies were the only places where those with less than a high school education had greater access to AC than the regional average. Low-income people in every other region have greater access to AC than those who fall into that economic status in B.C., where just one in four own cooling units. Looking nationwide, StatsCan revealed adults who live alone owned AC at significantly lower rates – a trend that B.C. were less likely to have AC, which was also the case in the prairies and the Atlantic provinces. Coroner Service’s death panel into the heat dome found most of the people who died belonged to that group. The study looked at a number of groups who are especially vulnerable to heat, including older adults who live alone and had compromised health due to chronic illness. The figures StatsCan released on Wednesday – which are the result of two surveys from 2017 – look to inform climate change adaptation strategies by identifying populations that have high health risks from heat and low access to air conditioning. “With climate change projected to cause higher ambient temperatures and longer, more frequent and more intense extreme heat events, the health impacts of heat exposure are expected to increase,” the data agency said.Īir conditioning is one of the most effective adaptation strategies to reduce heat-related death and illness, StatsCan said, but there’s been little study on its reach in Canada. While the west coast’s historically moderate climate differs from humid areas like Ontario, where 85 per cent of people have AC, access to cooling has been front of mind in recent summers following the 2021 heat dome that led to 619 deaths in B.C. Six in 10 Canadians have access to air conditioning in their homes, but only 32 per cent of British Columbians do. air conditioner use is well below the national average. Statistics Canada released its study into the prevalence of household air conditioning on Wednesday (July 19), which among other findings showed B.C. The first widespread study into air conditioner ownership in Canada found British Columbians are less likely than those in every other province to use cooling units. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |