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Global News
2 hours ago
- Global News
From tree cover to green roofs, how are cities fighting extreme heat?
As a heat wave grips parts of Ontario amid a scorching summer, some Canadian cities have been trying new techniques to try to tackle extreme heat, which can quickly turn deadly. A Statistics Canada study last year showed there were roughly 670 deaths between 2000 and 2020 attributable to extreme heat events in 12 Canadian cities. In 2021, a heat dome in British Columbia killed an estimated 619 people in one week. And this week, temperatures in parts of Ontario are set to feel like the mid-40s C — and cities can feel the heat keenly due to how they're built, experts say. 'The surfaces in the cities are such that they absorb more heat and that causes the entire environment to become hotter and the temperature rises as well,' said Sandeep Agrawal, a professor at the University of Alberta's School of Urban and Regional Planning. Story continues below advertisement It's due to the 'urban heat island effect,' which can make a city one to three degrees hotter than the surrounding area during the day and warmer at night, according to decades of urban studies. Among the reasons are glassy or concrete skyscrapers that absorb a lot of heat during the day and take longer to cool down at night. James Voogt, a Western University professor of geography and environment, said heat is a top 'weather hazard.' 'Our ability to physiologically respond to those is relatively slow,' he said. From increasing tree cover to installing 'green' roofs, here's how some Canadian cities have been trying new techniques to try to tackle extreme heat. What's been done to cool cities down so far? A study by the European Commission in 2023 found that increasing tree coverage to 30 per cent in European cities could lower temperatures by an average 0.4 C, with a maximum effect of 5.9 C in some areas, avoiding 2,644 premature deaths. Story continues below advertisement Planting more trees is one approach some Canadian cities are using. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Toronto plans to increase the number of trees covering streets to 40 per cent canopy cover by 2050 by planting about 120,000 trees a year. 'So you want to make use of strategic planting of trees to try to take advantage of the fact that a tree cools by shading a surface and a tree cools by evapo-transpiring water,' Voogt said. 'So if you strategically locate your tree well, you can get maximum benefit.' In May, Vancouver approved an update to its urban forest strategy with a goal of covering 30 per cent of the city with tree canopy by 2050. 1:55 'Wet-bulb' temperatures: What are they and why can they be so deadly? Trees take time to grow, but they can still benefit cities in the long term, said Sara Barron, program director for the Master of Urban Forestry Leadership Program at the University of British Columbia. Story continues below advertisement 'That immediate impact, it's not going to help maybe with next year's heat wave, but we know climate change is a shift that's going to be happening for years,' she said. Voogt cautioned that it may be difficult to just dig up areas of downtown Toronto to plant trees, but green roofs are an alternative. The Urban Land Institute said green roofs replace dark surfaces with soil and vegetation, noting that the 'greening' of five per cent of Toronto's area lowered citywide temperatures by an estimated 1.5 to two degrees. Toronto implemented a green roof bylaw in 2009, requiring new commercial and industrial developments of more than 2,000 square metres to incorporate them. Other cities have also taken steps, including Saskatoon, which offers a stormwater credit for commercial buildings with green roofs, and Port Coquitlam, B.C., which fast-tracks development applications that incorporate green roofs. There are also other techniques cities are using outside of Canada. The Spanish city of Murcia implemented 61 measures to adapt to extreme heat, including resurfacing dark asphalt roads with lighter-coloured materials to reflect sunlight, with Dallas doing something similar by installing reflective pavement. The Texas city has also required new buildings to use materials that reflect solar heat on at least 75 per cent of the surface or have 50 per cent of the roof covered by vegetation. Story continues below advertisement Still more to do, experts say While some cities have taken steps, Agrawal said 'better design' is needed. 'So incorporating more vegetation, vegetation cover and tree canopies, (and) permeable material within the built environment I think would lead to a more sort of sustainable and cooler environment than the current way of doing it, where it's sort of a patchwork of things being done,' Agrawal said. Barron noted changes like using lighter material for roads to lower heat absorption and adding water where you can, such as water fountains, can make a difference. 1:59 'Extremes you never want to be at': As temperatures spike, so do health hazards Using misting systems can also help with cooling, which she said has been used in places like Australia. The systems are set up to spray a mist of water around an area, or to let people walk through them to cool down. Story continues below advertisement Voogt said city planning can also improve how it handles heat, though he said that is a longer-term solution. 'So changing the form of the city, the way it's laid out, how the buildings are spaced, that's longer term, right, because you don't change the buildings that often,' he said. 'What we have to do is start thinking about cities that are a little bit more optimized in terms of the climate they're embedded in.'
Cision Canada
3 hours ago
- Cision Canada
BC Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC) records 10,000 members
More Registered Clinical Counsellors (RCCs) are expected to address growing demand for mental health services in BC VICTORIA, BC , July 24, 2025 /CNW/ - Memberships to the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC) have crossed 10,000, marking a significant step towards addressing the growing demand for mental health services in the province. "Access to mental health care can change lives, and it starts with people who care deeply," said Amna Shah , Parliamentary Secretary for Mental Health and Addictions. "Reaching 10,000 members is a powerful milestone for the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors and a reflection of their commitment to walking alongside people on their healing journeys. Thank you for the care, strength, and hope you bring to communities across the province." Currently, the association's Registered Clinical Counsellors (RCCs) comprise 90% of clinical counsellors and psychotherapists in BC, making it the largest association for the profession. Since its formation in 1988, the association has advocated for improved public access to mental health care and enhanced public protection. To earn the title of Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC), members must meet rigorous academic, clinical, and professional standards and commit to upholding BCACC's standards of practice and code of ethics. BCACC members also include over 1,000 student members. BCACC CEO, Michael Radano says "This milestone reflects the strong and growing professional community of psychotherapists in BC, and that clinical counselling and psychotherapy is a trusted and essential service for British Columbians. We hope that this continued growth helps to make mental health services more accessible in BC. I would like to congratulate the members, our board, and staff on this achievement. We look forward to collaborating with partner associations, organisations, and governments and lending our expertise as we move towards regulation" A rising demand for mental health services 5.7 million people call British Columbia home. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), by age 40, 50% of the population will have experienced a mental illness, and 1 in 5 experience mental health problems annually. The incidence of mental health issues has also been rising, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic. It is estimated that approximately 1.25 million British Columbians may seek psychotherapy or clinical counselling annually. Many individuals face long wait times, cost restrictions, and insufficient coverage. The addition of more RCCs is expected to bridge this gap and address the growing demand for quality mental health services. The BCACC engages its membership to educate the public on mental health through free public presentations called 'Matters of the Mind' on a variety of topics aimed at increasing knowledge and awareness. Additionally, BCACC's 'Find a Counsellor' tool allows the public to find a suitable clinician by filtering for modality, gender, cultural background, specializations, availability, session style, and more. The tool currently records approximately 125,000 visits a year. In addition, the association maintains a public registry, publishes public notifications, and has a detailed inquiry process to protect the public and maintain accountability. The BCACC is currently preparing for its annual conference scheduled from September 19-20, 2025 in Vancouver. BCACC: The BC Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC) is a not-for-profit provincial professional association founded in 1988 with more than 10,000 members. BCACC advocates for the clinical counselling/psychotherapy profession and public access to mental health services. Its 9000+ Registered Clinical Counsellors (RCCs) are held to the highest standards of practice and a strict code of ethics in service and protection of the public which includes a robust complaint, inquiry, and remedial process. SOURCE BC Association of Clinical Counsellors For media enquiries, contact Joshua Karunakaran: Manager - PR & Communications, [email protected]
Winnipeg Free Press
6 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
For millions in US mobile home parks, clean and safe tap water isn't a given
The worst water Colt Smith has seen in 14 years with Utah's Division of Drinking Water was at a mobile home park, where residents had been drinking it for years before state officials discovered the contamination. The well water carried cancer-causing arsenic as much as 10 times the federal limit. Smith had to put the rural park under a do-not-drink order that lasted nearly 10 years. 'The Health Department refers it to us like … 'Why aren't you guys regulating it?' We had no idea it existed,' he said. More than 50 years after the Safe Drinking Water Act was passed to ensure that Americans' water is free from harmful bacteria, lead and other dangerous substances, millions of people living in mobile home parks can't always count on those basic protections. A review by The Associated Press found that nearly 70% of mobile home parks running their own water systems violated safe drinking water rules in the past five years, a higher rate than utilities that supply water for cities and towns, according to Environmental Protection Agency data. And the problems are likely even bigger because the EPA database doesn't catch all parks. Even where parks get water from an outside source — such as a city — the clean water coming in can become contaminated if it passes through problematic infrastructure before reaching residents' taps. Because the EPA doesn't generally require this water to be tested and regulated, the problems may go unseen. Utah is one of the few states to step in with their own rules, according to an AP survey of state policies. 'If you look back at the history of the Safe Drinking Water Act, like in the '70s when they were starting, it was, 'Well, as long as the source … is protected, then by the time it gets to the tap, it'll be fine.' And that's just not how it works,' Smith said. The challenge of being 'halfway homeowners' In one Colorado mobile home park, raw sewage backed up into a bathtub. In a Michigan park, the taps often ran dry and the water resembled tea; in Iowa, it looked like coffee — scaring residents off drinking it and ruining laundry they could hardly afford to replace. In California, boxes of bottled water crowd a family's kitchen over fears of arsenic. Almost 17 million people in the U.S. live in mobile homes. Some are comfortable Sun Belt retirees. Many others have modest incomes and see mobile homes as a rare opportunity for home ownership. To understand how water in the parks can be so troubled, it's useful to remember that residents often own their homes but rent the land they sit on. Despite the name, it's difficult and expensive to move a mobile home. That means they're 'halfway homeowners,' said Esther Sullivan, a professor of sociology at the University of Colorado in Denver who lived in several mobile home parks as she researched a book. Residents often put up with 'really egregious' property maintenance by landlords because all their money is tied up in their home, she said. Pamela Maxey, 51, of Kalamazoo, Michigan, said she had forgotten what it was like to have reliable, clean water until she traveled to her state Capitol last year to advocate for better mobile home park protections and stayed in a hotel. By then, she had spent eight years in a park where sewage backed up into homes and the flow of tap water was sometimes weak or discolored. 'It wasn't until I went into the bathroom to take a shower that I realized, 'I don't have to jump in here and squint my eyes closed the entire time and make sure water doesn't get in my mouth because I don't know what's in it,'' she said. 'I went to brush my teeth, and I just turned the faucet on and I brushed my teeth from the water coming from the faucet. I haven't been able to do that for over a year.' Victoria Silva, a premed student in Fort Collins, Colorado, estimates the water in Harmony Village Mobile Home Park where Silva lives went out or lost pressure 20 to 30 times over roughly three years there. 'People don't realize how much water they need until the water is out for five minutes when they need to flush, when they need to rinse something off their hands, when they need to make some pasta,' Silva said. The park's owner says a licensed professional ensures water is maintained and tested, and outages are minimized. Small water companies, serial problems The U.S. has some 50,000 water utilities, most serving small towns and rural areas. Many struggle to find expert staff and funding, and they violate clean water rules more often than the handful of large utilities that serve cities. But even among the hard-pressed small utilities, mobile home parks stand out. The AP analysis found that more than half these parks failed to perform a required test for at least one contaminant, or failed to properly report the results, in the past five years. And they are far more likely to be repeat offenders of safe drinking water rules overall. But that's only part of the story. The true rates of mobile home park violations aren't knowable because the EPA doesn't track them well. The agency's tap water violation database depends on information from states that often don't properly categorize mobile home parks. When Smith first searched Utah's database in response to an AP request for data from all 50 states, he found only four small water systems identified as belonging to mobile home parks. With some keyword searches, he identified 33 more. Other parks aren't in the databases at all and may be completely unregulated. One July day in 2021, officials with the EPA were out investigating sky-high arsenic levels in the tap water at Oasis Mobile Home Park in the Southern California desert when they realized the problem went way beyond just one place. 'It was literally us driving around and going, 'Wait a minute, there's a bunch of mobile home parks!'' said Amy Miller, who previously served as EPA's head of enforcement for the Pacific Southwest region. The water in these other parks had been off their radar. At some, testing found high levels of cancer-causing arsenic in the water that had been provided to residents for years. It's impossible to know how many unnoticed parks are out there. Most states aren't actively looking for them and say they find very few. In Colorado, after the state passed a new law to require water testing at all mobile home parks, officials uncovered 79 parks with their source of water unknown. That's about a tenth of the total parks in the state. Pipes 'like spaghetti' in the ground Many parks are decades old with aging pipes that can cause chronic water problems, even if the water that supplies the park is clean when it enters the system. Jake Freeman, the engineering director at Central States Water Resources, a Missouri-based private utility company that specializes in taking over small water systems in 11 states, said substandard and poorly installed pipes are more common to see in mobile home parks. 'A lot of times, it's hard to find the piping in the mobile home parks because if there's any kind of obstruction, they just go around it,' he said. ''It's like spaghetti laying in the ground.' After a major winter storm devastated Texas in 2021, Freeman said, the company found pipes at parks it had taken over that 'were barely buried. Some of them weren't buried.' When pipes break and leak, the pressure drops and contaminants can enter water lines. In addition, parks sometimes have stagnant water — where pipes dead-end or water sits unused — that increases the risk of bacterial growth. Rebecca Sadosky is public water supply chief in North Carolina, where mobile home communities make up close to 40% of all water systems. She said owners don't always realize when they buy a park that they could also be running a mini utility. 'I think they don't know that they're getting into the water business,' she said. It doesn't have to be like this Utah is a rare state that enforces safe drinking water standards even within mobile home parks that get their water from another provider, according to AP's survey of states. A small number of other states like New Hampshire have taken some steps to address water safety in these parks, but in most states frustrated residents may have no one to turn to for help beyond the park owner. In Colorado, when Silva asked officials who enforces safe drinking water rules, 'I just couldn't get clear answers.' Steve Via, director of federal regulations at the American Water Works Association utility group, argued against regulating mobile home parks that get their water from a municipality, saying that would further stretch an already taxed oversight system. And if those parks are regulated, what's to stop the rules from extending to the privately owned pipes in big apartment buildings — the line has to be drawn somewhere, he said. Via said residents of parks where an owner refuses to fix water problems have options, including going to their local health departments, suing or complaining publicly. Silva is among the advocates who fought for years to change Colorado's rules before they succeeded in passing a law in 2023 that requires water testing in every mobile home park. It gives health officials the ability to go beyond federal law to address taste, color and smell that can make people afraid to drink their water, even when it's not a health risk. The state is now a leader in protecting mobile home park tap water. Smith, the Utah environmental scientist, said stopping the contaminated water flowing into the mobile home park and connecting it to a safe supply felt like a career highlight. He said Utah's culture of making do with scarce water contributed to a willingness for stronger testing and regulations than the federal government requires. 'There's sort of the communal nature of like, everybody should have access to clean water,' he said. 'It seems to transcend political ideologies; it seems to transcend religious ideologies.' ___ The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP's environmental coverage, visit
