[Report] CLIMATE, LIVED EXPERIENCE, AND RESILIENCE (the CLEAR project)

The 2021 Pacific Northwest heat dome was an unprecedented extreme heat event in British Columbia, causing the deaths of over 619 residents of the province. Equity-deserving priority populations were over-represented in the burden of heat-related illness and death. Many of the same populations are at higher risk of health impacts from other extreme weather events, and climate change will likely increase the frequency, intensity, and duration of these events in the future. Action must be taken to reduce the impact of extreme weather events on priority populations, and to support community resilience to climate change.

To listen to and learn from the lived experiences of priority populations in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, this project conducted nine community engagement sessions between December 2022 and May 2023. The goal of this engagement was to inform the regional health authority of the experiences of priority populations and aid in the development of practical steps to mitigate the health impacts of extreme weather events on these populations. Although this work is in response to the 2021 heat dome, participants were also asked about their experiences with two of the more common extreme weather events in the region, wildfire smoke and extreme cold.

The following themes were evident in the engagement work:

1. Extreme weather has life-altering impacts
2. Priority populations often rely on low-cost, familiar coping strategies
3. Transportation barriers hinder access to services for priority populations
4. Policies, services, and