Health officials are warning people to be on the lookout for heat-related illnesses in the coming days. Environment Canada says the mercury will rise to 35 C inland and 27 C near the water on Wednesday and Thursday. Warnings have been issued for Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, the Sunshine Coast and Howe Sound. Parts of Vancouver Island and further up the coast, as well as the Fraser Canyon and Thompson regions, are also affected. “A strong ridge of high pressure will bring a short-lived heat wave to British Columbia. Temperatures are expected to moderate on Friday,” Environment Canada said in an advisory. Because of this, heat-related illnesses are a real risk, Environment Canada said. Some of the symptoms include rash, cramps, fainting, exhaustion, heatstroke and worsening of certain health conditions. Younger children, older adults, pregnant women, those with chronic illnesses, and those who work or exercise outdoors are at greater risk. Those who live alone and marginally housed people are also more affected. Several cities in the Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health regions have opened cooling centers to provide relief. “The hottest time of the day will be late afternoon to early evening. Extreme heat affects everyone,” Environment Canada said. Preliminary figures from BC’s coroner’s office revealed 16 people died during the record heat that reached late last month — most of them elderly. However, temperatures this summer have not reached the highs seen during last year’s heatwave that led to more than 600 deaths. “In my 34 years, I have to say it’s the worst loss of life event I’ve ever seen. And because of that fear, the provincial government and everybody, the citizens, we’re all looking out for each other better than ever,” said Doug Lundquist, meteorologist for Environment Canada. “It’s sad that it had to come to this, but that’s part of what’s going to happen with climate change. Maybe that’s a warning to us, that we should expect really unexpected things in the future,” Lundquist said. He says it is important to ensure there is adequate warning and information without causing unnecessary fear. Lundquist believes the BC Provincial Heat Warning and Response System introduced in June is working well so far. Environment and Climate Change Canada is a key component of this. “We talked to a lot of people, our provincial partners, our municipal partners, we talked to a lot of people, so the message is getting out there. We’re still working out bugs, of course,” he told CTV News. He believes collaboration and communication have never been better. But he says there’s always room for improvement. Officials are urging the public to check on neighbors and loved ones over the next few days. They also remind people not to leave children or pets in the car.
