Across British Columbia, patients rely on specialized health services that cannot pause when climate events strike. Cancer treatments, diagnostics, research, and outpatient care must continue through heat waves, wildfire smoke, storms, and power disruptions. For the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), ensuring continuity of these services is both a clinical and infrastructure imperative.
While new facilities can be designed for future climate conditions, understanding how current buildings will perform as risks intensify is essential to long-term planning.
A consistent lens across diverse climate zones
To build this understanding, PHSA has implemented the Climate Vulnerability Survey (CVS), a structured assessment that examines facility exposure to hazards such as extreme heat, flooding, and wildfire smoke. The survey combines climate data with the operational insight of Facilities Maintenance and Operations teams, capturing how buildings perform during real-world events.
In 2025, the CVS was completed at seven PHSA sites, including five BC Cancer centres located across diverse climate zones. This geographical spread highlights both the range of climate hazards faced across the province and the value of applying a consistent evaluation framework.
The assessment included a review of key documents such as asset detail reports, energy studies, emergency preparedness standard operating procedures, and local floodplain maps. These materials were complemented by structured interviews with Facilities Maintenance and Operations staff, capturing how buildings have performed during events such as extreme heat, wildfire smoke, storms, and power disruptions, as well as identifying existing strengths and future considerations.
Identifying vulnerabilities while recognizing resilience
Through document reviews and structured discussions, the survey captures vulnerabilities alongside existing strengths. Common challenges included overheating, wildfire smoke infiltration, and stormwater flooding risks.
At the same time, the process surfaced strong emergency preparedness practices and deep operational expertise, both of which are critical assets in responding to extreme events.
While the CVS does not prescribe solutions, it produces concise, planning-focused summaries that can inform asset renewal, capital investment, and infrastructure upgrades, ensuring that climate risk is considered alongside building condition and service impact.
The Climate Vulnerability Survey provides a clear snapshot of our opportunities to proactively bolster resilience in specialized care across the province,” says Colin Chan, Executive Director of Facilities Maintenance and Operations.
Planning today for uninterrupted care tomorrow
By embedding climate insight into existing planning processes, PHSA is strengthening system-wide resilience without creating parallel workflows.
As climate pressures grow, this work ensures specialized provincial services, from cancer care to complex diagnostics, remain dependable when patients need them most.
