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Castlegar coolling centres ready to roll

Three cooling centres in Castlegar are ready to open if temperatures in the region call for it this summer.

Last year, the city signed memorandums of understanding with Kinnaird Church of God, New Life Church, and Way Out Shelter to offer places for residents to go when the temperature outside reaches extreme highs.

“These centres are places where people may go to cool down during hot weather like we experienced in 2021,” Fire Chief Sam Lattanzio said in a news release.

“Cooling centres are especially important for more vulnerable people, including older adults, children, and those without access to air conditioning.”

The community’s heat response plan is triggered when temperatures hit 35 degrees or more for two straight days and the overnight temperature doesn’t get below 18.

The cooling centres are then available from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. providing air-conditioned spaces, seating, and public washrooms at the following locations:

  • Kinnaird Church of God: 2404 Columbia Ave.
  • New Life Church: 602 7th Ave.
  • Way Out Shelter: 1660 Columbia Ave.

Pastor Cynthia Pelletier of the Church of God says even prior to reaching last year’s agreement with the city, they had been offering a refuge to residents affected by heat and forest fire smoke.

She says when the church was rebuilt after being damaged by arson in 2014, the engineers insisted that they have a good air exchanger in case there was any possible reside from the smoke damage.

“We’re blessed to have not only great air conditioning in the building but also really powerful air purifiers,” she says.

“We opened the church for anyone with respiratory issues to come in and get a break from the smoke. With the heat wave that often accompanies it, it was a natural next step.”

Between the three locations, Pelletier says they hope they have enough room for everyone who needs to get out of the heat.

“We’ve got a great library and big screen TV so it can be very homey if the need arises,” she says.

Last year she says their centre was not heavily used, although she suspected that their location at the south end of town may have been a challenge to some without transportation. She encouraged residents in that situation to call them or the other centres to arrange a ride.

She adds a father and his two daughters who were camping in the area during the heat wave last year came for a few days in a row.

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