[Recording] Five years after the 2021 heat dome: Building evidence to motivate action

The 2021 heat dome in British Columbia (BC) was one of the deadliest weather disasters in Canadian history. The BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) estimated 740 excess deaths during the event, and the BC Coroners Services attributed 619 deaths to extreme heat exposure. Almost all of the deaths were due to indoor overheating. As we approach the 5-year anniversary of the heat dome, this presentation will review all research and initiatives led by the BCCDC to understand who was most at risk of injury and death. This evidence has been used to drive policy and practice changes at local, provincial, and national scales and will serve to protect populations from extreme heat into the decades ahead.

Speaker

Sarah Henderson, PhD, is the Scientific Director of Environmental Health Services at BCCDC and the Scientific Director of the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health. She is also a Professor (Partner) at the UBC School of Population & Public Health. Dr. Henderson oversees a program of applied research, surveillance, and knowledge translation to support evidence-based environmental public health policy and practice in British Columbia and across Canada.