Re: “Without more trees, B.C.’s next heat dome could be even deadlier,” comment, July 2.
While I agree that we should do more to protect and expand our urban tree canopy in order to mitigate the impacts of climate change, the authors made a mistake that I’ve often seen in the media: implying that events like the June 2021 heat dome will become common in our area thanks to climate change.
I’m not a climate change denier: human-caused climate change is absolutely occurring and it’s the greatest threat the world faces. Climate change will result in more heat waves and more frequent extreme high temperatures.
However, all heat domes are not created equal, and most people don’t seem to realize what an extraordinarily rare and extreme event the June 2021 heat dome was.
Weather historian Christopher Burt described it as “the most anomalous regional extreme heat event to occur anywhere on Earth since temperature records began” roughly 150 years ago with the beginnings of modern meteorology.
Never before have so many all-time temperature records been broken by such a large margin in one region by a single event. According to international weather records researcher Maximiliano Herrera, more all-time heat records were broken by at least 5 C in the June 2021 heat wave than in the previous 84-plus years of worldwide weather record-keeping combined.
Because it was such a rare and extreme event, it’s difficult to quantify how frequently an event like this is likely to occur, but estimates by international climate scientists range from a 1-in-1,000- year to a 1-in-10,000-year event for our region.
Even with climate change, it will likely be hundreds of years before Victoria experiences the extreme temperatures we saw in June 2021. That included 39.8 C at Victoria Gonzales — an extraordinary 4 C hotter than the previous record temperature for that location, which has 127 years of data (all-time temperature records are typically broken by fractions of a degree).
Yes, climate change will result in more frequent heat waves in Victoria, but, thankfully, events like the June 2021 heat dome are unlikely to reoccur in our region any time soon.
Steven Murray
Victoria
Re: “Without more trees, B.C.’s next heat dome could be even deadlier,” comment, July 2.
The authors make some good suggestions for adapting to the serious effects of heat domes. Infrastructure improvements, cooling and tree canopies will have a direct effect.
Current net-zero policies misdirect funding to subsidies for “green energy” based on a politicized climate change narrative. In fact, climate change has little to do with fatalities from heat domes.
Since 1850, the dramatic rise in heat dome-related deaths is primarily driven by increased population density and urban heat-island effects, rather than climate change.
Global population has surged from 1.2 billion to more than eight billion, with urban populations growing from seven per cent to over 55 per cent.
Cities like Vancouver, which grew from about 1,000 in 1850 to more than 2.7 million today, exemplify this trend.
Urbanization concentrates people in areas where heat is amplified by the urban heat-island effect, where concrete and asphalt absorb and retain heat, raising temperatures by up to 7 C compared to rural areas.
This intensifies heat stress, particularly in densely packed, low-income neighbourhoods with limited green spaces or cooling infrastructure.
While climate change contributes somewhat to increased heat deaths, and has perhaps made heat domes more frequent and intense, the sheer scale of urban population growth drastically overshadows this.
Fred Kardel
Nanaimo
Re: “Victoria mayor announces $10 million on diverted spending for community safety,” July 2.
As a former council member, Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto played a direct role in creating the current street-level issues facing Victoria. Alongside the previous mayor, she helped implement policies that effectively invited individuals to camp in city parks with the promise of expedited placement on housing lists — an approach that predictably led to the entrenched encampment crisis we see today.
Now, she proposes to spend $10 million of taxpayers’ money in an attempt to remedy a problem her own policies helped create.
But the core issue isn’t a lack of funding — it’s a lack of political will and leadership to enforce existing regulations.
The city must uphold its bylaws and prohibit unauthorized camping on public and private property. If this had been enforced consistently five years ago, Victoria would not be in the state it is today.
Throwing money at a crisis without fixing the policy failures that caused it is not leadership — it’s damage control.
Unless the city begins to enforce rules around street camping, tents on sidewalks and sleeping in doorways, no amount of funding will reverse the decline.
It’s increasingly clear that this mayor, along with much of council and senior staff, lack the vision and resolve to govern effectively. Victoria needs real leadership grounded in accountability, not performative spending.
Richard Meagher
Victoria
Re: “Langford nine-year-old’s terminal illness is a dual tragedy,” editorial, July 3.
This editorial is a misguided attempt to justify the moral disregard for the eventual excruciating death of Charleigh Pollock.
A group of people, who never met her, who never talked to the medical staff who treat her, decided that since Brineura will not cure her, it should no longer be provided. They chose to ignore that it continues to provide quality of life and without it death will be precipitated and unnecessarily painful.
If money is not the issue, then why not continue to provide the drug, so that at least Charleigh could pass on her own terms and with less trauma? Isn’t that what a compassionate society would do?
Dawn Devereaux
Victoria
Re: “Nobody in Canada standing up to Trump,” letter, July 4.
Prime Minister Mark Carney did not cave on the digital services tax. He paused it to get the world’s worst negotiator back to the table.
As has been demonstrated, TACO Trump always loses at negotiations.
Kerry Butler
Saltspring Island
Two letters about seniors allude to their “rights.” As a 78-year-old, I am totally fed up with hearing seniors carp and complain about their lot in life.
Let’s face reality. We baby boomers, as a group, have collectively refused to pay our way for 50 years, ever since Pierre Trudeau discovered the magic of deficit financing.
The whole country is now paying the price of this folly, which we have encouraged politicians to practise.
Seniors have no special rights, nor any call on government largesse just because we have lived to what was once a ripe old age. We need to pay our way like everyone else.
The chickens have come home to roost and, if you think it is bad now, wait until the millennials take full power and exact their revenge.
Roger Love
Saanich
Re: “Moving Our Place is the only solution,” letter, July 2.
Move Our Place from Pandora Avenue? How about a purpose-built facility?
And there’s land available not far from downtown, owned by Island Health.
Yes, the former Oak Bay Lodge property on Cadboro Bay Road.
Best news: no consultation required. The province and the feds will support speedy approvals to get the shovels in the ground.
Your morning chuckle.
Michael Faulkner
View Royal*
*same size as Oak Bay and supporting two recovery centres
Re: “Dr. Bonnie Henry among those honoured with Order of Canada,” June 30.
Congratulations to Bonnie Henry. The Order of Canada is more than well-deserved and, along with the vast majority of B.C. residents, I think it is an honour that is combined with our collective thanks and respect.
John Stevenson
Victoria
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