Some of New Westminster’s spray parks may open a little earlier than usual to help folks keep cool during this weekend’s warmer weather.
Cory Hansen, the city’s emergency management coordinator, said the current forecast is calling for temperatures of 28 to 31C for Saturday through Monday, with Sunday and Monday having hotter daytime temperatures. While the event has triggered a special weather statement for heat from Environment and Climate Canada, she stressed it is not considered a heat dome.
So far, Hansen said no heat warning has been issued because the temperature will be cooling down in the evening.
“The city’s emergency management office will continue to monitor the weather as we move through the weekend,” she said.
The City of New Westminster is taking a number of steps to help residents prepare for this weekend’s warmer weather.
Hansen said New Westminster Fire and Rescue Services will be making “roaming patrols” through the downtown core to hand out bottled water over the weekend.
Spray parks in New Westminster parks normally open on the Victoria Day long weekend, but efforts are underway to try and get some of them open this weekend.
Hansen said the city’s irrigation team is currently working to address critical irrigation needs in so the city can open high-priority spray parks such as those in Ryall, Queen’s and Hume parks.
The City of New Westminster is sending out its heat preparedness poster to residents, property managers, faith-based and non-profit groups for distribution and display.
“We will be communicating to the public that cooling venues are open during regular business hours, and we will continue to monitor this through the weekend into next week in case something changes,” Hansen said in an email to the Record.
The city’s heat preparedness poster provides tips on how to prepare for extreme heat, how to keep cool and how to find a cooling venue. Residents are welcome to drop by civic facilities with air conditioning to cool down, such as Century House (620 Eighth St.), the Queensborough Community Centre (920 Ewen Ave.), the New Westminster Public Library (716 Sixth Ave.) and Anvil Centre (777 Columbia St.)
Information about heat preparedness can be found on the city’s website at www.newwestcity.ca (search for extreme heat preparedness).
