About 30 residents from the top two floors of an independent living complex in Nanaimo were being put up in a hotel Tuesday night after heat overwhelmed suites without air conditioners.
The Lakeside Gardens residents in Nanaimo were moved for their safety and comfort to the Oliver Woods Community Centre for respite from the heat during the day, returned to the seniors home for dinner, and put up in a hotel overnight. Some opted to stay with family.
Temperatures in Nanaimo hit 35 C on Tuesday and 37 C on Monday, according to Environment Canada.
Andrew Trinder, director of operations, said the building has air conditioning on the main floor but the air flow through the building was not enough to provide relief for those suites on the top floors that don’t have air conditioners.
Trinder suspects the residents will be back in the building on Wednesday if it’s safe and comfortable to do so. “They won’t be going back if it’s the same heat we had today,” Trinder said Tuesday night, “but I think we should be good for tomorrow.”
If high summer temperatures become the norm, other ways of cooling the seniors building or a retrofit may be necessary, he said.
Residents who opted not to have air conditioning installed in their units — the norm for many people on Vancouver Island for decades — will be encouraged and supported to have them installed, Trinder said.
Given the record-high temperatures over the past few days, he doesn’t imagine anyone will argue.
