Too Hot to Handle: Why Seniors Are Still Struggling to Get Air Conditioners in BC

 By Tina Winterlik aka Zipolita

In the summer of 2021, BC was scorched by a record-breaking heat dome that took the lives of at least 619 people — most of them seniors, low-income, or vulnerable. But emergency room workers and frontline responders say the real number could be more than twice that — closer to 1,500.

That summer changed everything — or at least, it should have.

The government made promises. Programs were announced. Free air conditioners would be made available to low-income seniors and people with health concerns. It sounded good… on paper.

But the reality?

My 75-year-old friend — living alone, on a fixed income — tried to get one. The process was so complicated, with online forms, confusing eligibility rules, and little to no support, that she gave up.

And I don’t blame her.

Where was the help? Where was the outreach? Why weren’t workers sent door-to-door, like they were with census or vaccine rollouts?

Fast-forward to this summer — 2025. Heat records are being broken again. Environment Canada is warning of warmer-than-normal temperatures. We don’t know if another extreme event is coming, but what we do know is:

• Many of the most vulnerable still don’t have air conditioners.
• Those free AC programs were one-offs, and new ones (if any) are buried in red tape.
• New tariffs on imported goods could drive up the cost of air conditioners and fans, making it even harder for people on social assistance or pensions to prepare.

We need to ask the hard questions now — not after another tragedy.

• Will BC Hydro offer meaningful help this summer — and actually make it accessible?
• Will non-profits and housing agencies step up with real distribution plans?
• Will the government finally take heat and housing seriously — not as luxury issues, but as matters of life and death?

Because if we wait until another crisis hits, it will be too late again — and the people paying the price will be the same ones ignored in 2021.

Let’s not let this be another “we didn’t see it coming” moment.

If you or someone you know is struggling to prepare for summer heat, let’s talk. Let’s share stories. Let’s build solutions.

We can't afford silence — or another cover-up.