April 25, 2024
Earlier this spring, SCARP MCRP students Sheree Emmanuel and Jasmeen Sidhu were part of the High Ground Forum, where they presented to local community leaders and Vancouver-Fairview MLA George Heyman.
There, Jasmeen presented their research as part of a student group in their Green Cities course taught by James Connolly. Two other groups from the course were also selected.
They presented a policy brief for extreme heat in BC, produced in collaboration with the Columbia Institute's Centre for Civic Governance, as well as their institutional partner "Women Transforming Cities".
Jasmeen Sidhu describes the experience in her own words
In our presentation, we introduced a comprehensive policy designed to address the challenge of extreme heat in British Columbia through a lens of equity. Our strategy, known as PPR (Prevention, Preparedness, and Response), is tailored for implementation at various levels: regional, municipal, and within neighborhoods.
Central to our proposal is a focus on safeguarding the most vulnerable communities, who bear the brunt of extreme heat and often lack sufficient resources to shield themselves during such events.
Our audience at the conference comprised elected officials, including mayors, councillors, regional directors, and school trustees from across British Columbia and Canada. Additionally, union leaders and experts from civil society participated, reflecting a diverse and influential gathering committed to tackling this pressing issue collaboratively.
