Make our communities safer from severe heatwaves & flooding by improving urban greenspaces

Learn more about the campaign

In 2021, British Columbia experienced the deadliest weather disaster in Canadian history: a heat dome that killed over 600 people, most of whom were living alone in overheated homes without access to shade or cooling.  

We have all felt the relief of walking onto a tree-shaded street on a hot day. During extreme heat, shaded areas can be 11 to 20 °C cooler than exposed pavement. The 2022 Extreme Heat Death Review Panel urged immediate action. It directed the Province to ensure key legislation updates mandating protection and restoration of urban tree canopy and permeable surfaces as part of B.C.’s Climate Preparedness and Adaptation Strategy. 

That directive has not been followed. Four years later, we continue to see a net loss of tree canopy and inequitable access to cooling, particularly in the neighbourhoods most vulnerable to extreme heat.

As B.C. ramps up their housing strategy to deal with our province’s extreme housing shortage and affordability issues, we will see a much-needed increase in housing options near transit and service. But B.C.’s housing strategy is missing one key component; it currently lacks safeguards and incentives to ensure that green infrastructure—like trees and greenspace—keeps pace with growth. Housing and climate resilience can and must be planned together to create healthier, more equitable communities for all.

We’re calling on the B.C. government to act on its public commitment to ensure preventable deaths are not repeated in future extreme heat events and follow B.C.’s Chief Coroner’s directive for increasing tree canopy, permeable surfaces, and cooling greenspace as essential components of its housing mandates.  

Will you speak up for safer, greener communities? Send a message to Premier Eby and key Ministers urging them to: 

• Implement the Coroner’s directive to embed tree protection and restoration in key legislation 
• Establish a plan to restore and expand urban greenspace, particularly in equity-deserving neighbourhoods where tree canopy is sparse 
• Incorporate tree canopy and climate goals as a core part of B.C.’s housing strategy 

We need leadership to understand climate resilience isn’t optional—it’s lifesaving. Join the call for action today. Personalize your message to make an even bigger impact. Together, we can build communities that are safe for everyone.