Policy Listening as a Collaborative Governance Approach to Emergency Management

Responding to Extreme Heat through Community-Engaged Research in British Columbia

Abstract

Over the summer of 2021, the Canadian Province of British Columbia experienced a heat dome that caught many government and non-government organizations off guard across levels and sectors. The impact of climate change globally is making extreme heat events the new normal, with local impacts and implications, which is especially concerning for those most vulnerable, as this research addresses, which includes individuals living in isolation, pregnant bodies and seniors with pre-existing health concerns, in addition to complex mental health concerns. This scenario presents a policy problem for emergency management in theory, method and practice, of which this paper responds to: how are local governments responding to this new crises-laden normal? What can be learned from such disastrous events to enhance emergency planning and preparedness going forward? In response, this paper presents a mixed methods participatory action research approach, including a survey of residents (N=325) in the Capital Regional District of Victoria and seven sharing circles with priority populations who were especially vulnerable to extreme heat to learn from their lived-experiences and co-generate recommendations for policy-makers. The conceptual framework includes planetary health and intersectionality-based policy analysis and aims to contribute to the theory and practice of equity-informed environmental management, policy and practice.