B.C. to provide up to 8,000 free air conditioners following deadly 2021 heat dome

The British Columbia government is giving its Crown power utility $10 million to provide up to 8,000 free air-conditioning units to vulnerable people.

A death review panel by the BC Coroners Service found that most of the 619 people who died in B.C.’s heat dome event in 2021 were low-income and vulnerable people who were aged 60 or older.

One of the key recommendations from the panel was that the government provide air-conditioning units to those living in single-room apartments.

Health Minister Adrian Dix said Tuesday that the funding to BC Hydro will provide up to 8,000 air-conditioning units over the next three years, but if demand increases, that number could also go up.

Dix said people can apply for the units on their own or health officials working with elderly people will be able to help them get a unit.