In an article in the Narwhal, I read the following:
As Canada is expected to see more bad air quality days in the future, McLeman feels this is part of the larger issues of homelessness and housing inequality in the country.
“If [people] are living in low quality accommodation that does not have air conditioning, or proper ventilation; or people who are living in shelters, on the street, couch surfing or living in vehicles … they’re exceptionally exposed to these types of health risks,” he said. “And so, there’s yet another reason why we need to get these folks in the proper accommodation.”
Two years after a heat dome killed 619 people in B.C. within a week, the provincial government agreed to provide free air conditioners to some vulnerable residents. Eight thousand air conditioners will be provided over three years, in a program the province says will cost $10 million.
Providing air conditioners to individuals living alone is not only cost prohibitive; it’s counter productive; exacerbating loneliness, one of the greatest contributors to depression and anxiety.
Government is making knee-jerk decisions, reacting instead of looking at things holistically. There are too many things going wrong to think anything can be solved by itself — by ourselves.
Our Heart Gardens in repurposed malls and public buildings can shelter many people from the heat in the summer, and the crops provide food and helpful tasks to do. What I am willing do for love far outweighs what I’ll do for pay. Volunteering also improves my self-image.
We all need to be part of the solution, part of the circles that help determine the future. We cannot do that cuddling up to our very own air conditioner or heater. We need to get out from behind our own four walls, and we need somewhere to gather together – OhGs, the plan has been offered.
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