VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - Several new portable water fountains have been installed around Vancouver, as the city rolls out the first phase of its new hot-weather strategy.
The campaign was adopted earlier this month, and is in response to the death of a homeless man in an East Van park last summer.
Along with the water fountains, there is a
web-based information campaign on keeping cool when it's hot outside, and includes maps showing locations of community centres, libraries, washrooms and drinking fountains.
Councillor Kerry Jang says the city rolled it out even though there is no heat alert in effect.
"Today's decision was based purely on preventative medicine. What we want to do is prevent people from getting heat stroke in the first place. That's the most important thing and it's the cheapest way of making sure our citizens are looked after," he says.
The new fountains can be found at 70th and Granville, Vanier Park, Commercial and Broadway, Burrard and Davie, and at Napier and Commercial.