Vancouver to offer rooms with filtered air when air quality drops

The City of Vancouver isn't just helping people combat the hot summer weather this year with water fountains and pop-up spray parks.

For the first time, it's introducing an air quality plan.

The new measures will include cleaner air rooms at the Central Library and several community centres, which will be equipped with high-efficiency particulate air filtering systems.

And when air quality advisories are issued, the city will install temporary clean-air filtration units at most non-market affordable housing sites.

The initiative comes after two record-breaking wildfire seasons in B.C., which spewed thick haze into the city for weeks and eroded the region's air quality.

The new measures are meant to help people with respiratory issues, said Kirsten Jasper, the city's manager of operational readiness.

Beating the heat

As for dealing with the heat, the city has already turned on 12 temporary water fountains, on top of the 234 permanent ones across the city.

Crews started installing misting stations in parks this week. The city is aiming to have 12 active stations over the coming weeks.

Vancouver Fire Rescue Service will continue with its weekly pop-up water parks, which debuted last summer and proved popular, Jasper said.

The events take place every Thursday evening when the temperature rises above 25 degrees.

The city says it's also monitoring vulnerable populations, including the elderly and homeless. It plans to performs more wellness checks and provide water for tenants in city-owned rental housing.

An extreme heat response plan will be triggered when temperatures reach over 29 degrees during the day and 16 degrees for two consecutive nights.