Columbia-Shuswap directors dispute responsibility for weather shelters – Revelstoke Review
Centres are expected to be locally led
A letter from the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness garnered a frosty reception from the Columbia Shuswap Regional District board at the Oct. 19 meeting in Salmon Arm.
At issue is the province’s decision to make cooling and warming centres part of its program to mitigate the impact of extreme weather events.
In an April 25 letter to the CSRD board, Bowinn Ma, Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness (EMCR), advised directors that the centres are expected to be locally led, and that an online hub ClimateReadyBC, is designed to assist local authorities with climate readiness strategies and support.
At the June board meeting, directors questioned why local governments should be responsible for something CSRD directors believe should be handled at the health authority level.
At that meeting, Chief Administrative Officer John MacLean cautioned directors about potential problems arising with local government administration of warming and cooling centres.
