
Cooling bus run by former CRAB Park residents providing heat relief in Downtown Eastside
A cooling bus run by former residents of the CRAB Park encampment is taking to the streets of Vancouver this summer, stopping in parks and streets around the Downtown Eastside to provide people with relief from the heat.
The community initiative offers cold water, snacks, hot weather gear and harm reduction supplies on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Organizers say they're aiming to fill a service gap amid funding cuts to some other support services in the area and a daytime camping ban that means unhoused people aren't allowed to set up shelters during the hottest hours of the summer.
The initiative is staffed by a team of about 35 people, many of them former residents of the CRAB Park encampment, which the city closed down last November.
One of those former residents, Larry Cocksedge, said running the cooling bus feels like a way to give back to a community that has helped him out many times.
"Not everybody gets to eat every day, and if we can provide them a snack and a water or a freezie, or something to help them cool down, it's just amazing," he told CBC's On The Coast host Gloria Macarenko.
Fiona York, a housing advocate who spearheaded the bus idea, said staff are trained in overdose prevention and can offer expertise that people who aren't a part of the community can't.
For instance, she said, they know what areas of the neighbourhood to go to to reach people who are the most in need, or who can't get to physical cooling centres or support services themselves. York said they have cold water, ice packs, cool towels and electrolytes.
She said with rising temperatures this week, there is an especially high need for help.
WATCH | Community-run cooling bus helping DTES residents to beat the heat:
Cooling bus offers water, resources for Downtown Eastside residents
11 hours ago
Residents of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside have a new resource to help them beat the heat this summer. It's described as a cooling bus, part of a grassroots initiative offering people bottled water and other supplies as temperatures soar. Amelia John went along for a ride.
The City of Vancouver said it's provided more than 6,200 cooling kits to local organizations over the last three years.
In an email to CBC News, a city spokesperson said some cooling centres extend their hours during extreme weather conditions, and that the centres are free for everyone. An online city map shows the locations of spray parks, misting stations and cooling centres.
For those running the cooling bus, it's about helping out their neighbours.
"The system has failed a lot of people," peer mentor Natasha Shingoose said. "But instead of turning away, we're coming together as a community to show up for one another."
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Power still out in Hay River, N.W.T., after second generator-caused outage in 3 days
The Northwest Territories Power Corporation is asking customers in Hay River, N.W.T., to conserve energy as it struggles to repair generators and end an hours long outage for nearly half the community. This is the second outage in three days for Hay River. In it's latest update on its Facebook page, Northwest Territories Power Corporation said it is was working on repairing two of its largest generators, but it does not yet have an estimated time for when the generators will be fixed. It says it plans to move an additional rental generator to the site as soon as possible. It's asking customers with power to limit their use until power has been restored to all homes. Around 10 a.m. Friday, the Northwest Territories Power Corporation said it was experiencing "technical difficulties" with a generator. Just after 4 p.m. local time, the corporation said power had been restored to more than half the town, but some areas remain without power. K'atlodeeche First Nation is also without power. The outage comes after a lengthy power outage on Wednesday, when temperatures outside reached more than 30 C. That day, people were without power for between five and nine hours, depending on where they lived. Keyna Norwegian, who was visiting the community this week in an effort to escape the smoke hanging over her home of Fort Simpson, said the outages worry her — in part because it was so hot on Wednesday, though Friday was cooler. "Somebody said it was like plus 40 in their house, and I said, holy crap — there's no escape from that heat," she said. "Their house is hotter than outside. There's nowhere to go to cool off. So that's kind of scary." She said it's also bad news for business owners. "They can't do anything without power. So they're losing money," she said "It hurts your pockets big time, seven hours without being able to operate — you depend on those seven hours." Earlier this week, Hay River was taken off Taltson hydro power for a three-week period so the hydro facility could undergo maintenance. The community is being powered by diesel generators in the meantime, which is where the source of both outages has stemmed from.


CBC
3 hours ago
- CBC
Updated plant map shows warmer conditions and new gardening possibilities
Natural Resources Canada has updated a map showing the types of plants that can be grown across the country. As Johna Baylon reports, the map reflects a warmer province and possibilities for new plants to thrive


CBC
3 hours ago
- CBC
Heat warnings in place for southern B.C. and Vancouver Island
A wave of extreme heat is gripping parts of Southern B.C. and the Interior, bringing soaring temperatures to regions already battling wildfires. Health officials are urging people to look out for vulnerable neighbours, while wildfire crews warn of more activity and smoke. Shaurya Kshatri reports.