May 2024

The annual Emergency Preparedness Week took place from May 5-11. As a national awareness initiative, Emergency Preparedness Week encourages everyone to be better prepared to face a range of emergencies.
 
With climate change, extreme weather events such as extreme heat, poor air quality from wildfire smoke and extreme rainfall are becoming more frequent and severe. Part of preparing for climate change emergencies means connecting with our families, friends and neighbours so we can face them together.
 
Through our Climate Change Adaptation Strategy and our Resilient Vancouver Strategy, the City is working to build a thriving, prepared and resilient community of support for everyone in the face of climate change and other shocks and stresses.
 
YOUR TURN
 
Preparedness is a shared responsibility, and everyone has a role to play. Steps like knowing your hazards, making a plan and gathering supplies can keep you safe during an emergency.

• Learn the steps to preparedness at vancouver.ca/beprepared or register for an emergency preparedness workshop, the next one is June 18.
• Watch the video to learn more
• Download the Alertable app to receive notifications from the City about significant and urgent emergencies and related support services.

Learn more by checking out the Resilient Neighbourhoods Program, PreparedBC’s Neighbourhood Preparedness Guide and Guide for Apartments, Condos, and Townhomes.  

SUPPORTING: RESILIENT VANCOUVER, ADAPTATION

It's time to tune up your bicycle for the annual Go by Bike Week from June 3 - 9!

Celebrate all things cycling this spring by participating in HUB Cycling's Go by Bike Week. Whether you're new to biking or already a seasoned rider, Go by Bike Week inspires you to hop on your bicycle and ride Vancouver’s over 300km of All Ages and Abilities bike network to get to your everyday destinations like work, school, errands or leisure activities.

Cycling isn’t just fun, it’s good for the planet. Choosing to change how we move, by using active transportation to get around the city, can help us meet our Climate Emergency Action Plan goal of cutting Vancouver’s carbon pollution in half by 2030.

YOUR TURN

Ready to embark on a fun and rewarding journey?

This Go by Bike Week:

• Register to log your active trips with HUB Cycling for a chance to win exciting prizes, track your kilometres and see the positive impact you’ve made on the environment.
• Visit Celebration Stations across Vancouver to get free bike maintenance, cycling info, snacks and more!
• Share your stories with the hashtag #GoByBikeWeek.

• Get inspired with the 2024 City of Vancouver spring cycling map at vancouver.ca/cyclingmap.
• Stay connected with @CityofVancouver and @WalkBikeRoll for the latest updates.

 
SUPPORTING: CLIMATE EMERGENCY, ACTIVE MOBILITY PLAN

It’s been almost two years since the Broadway Plan was approved by Council and work is underway to add housing, job space and amenities that integrate with the Broadway Subway, meet our city’s needs and advance climate solutions through land-use planning.

In early June, public engagement is launching to share updates and gather feedback on three different initiatives:

• Broadway Public Realm and Streetscape Plan: The second phase of engagement will present concepts to guide the development of public spaces for comfortable walking, cycling and moving around the Broadway corridor, along with green infrastructure improvements.
• Land Use, Built Form and Transit-Oriented Areas: Updates on how new provincial requirements that allow increased density in Transit-Oriented Areas align with the Broadway Plan and optimize land-use with the goal of getting more homes built faster.
• Reimagine City Hall: Presenting site concepts for the future redevelopment of City-owned lands next to City Hall to help this area evolve into a more welcoming, inclusive, service-oriented environment with improved community amenities for everyone.

YOUR TURN
Learn more about the Broadway Plan.

Stay updated through Shape Your City for opportunities to talk to staff at Open Houses.

Provide your feedback after June 11 here.

SUPPORTING: VANCOUVER PLAN, CLIMATE EMERGENCY

The City of Vancouver’s inaugural Cigarette Litter Challenge is being held from June 1 - 8 in celebration of Ocean Week Canada. Raising awareness and picking up litter is one step we can all take to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in our oceans.
 
Every day, approximately 450,000 cigarette butts are tossed out on our streets, beaches and parks, making them the most littered item in Vancouver. During rain events, many of those butts get washed into waterways and oceans, negatively impacting the environment and marine life.
 
Year-round, Vancouver encourages residents to reduce cigarette litter to prevent cigarette butts from getting into the environment in the first place. If there’s no garbage bin close by, pocket ashtrays allow smokers to store their cigarette butts in a reusable pocket ashtray until they’re near a waste bin and then empty the contents. Find where to pick one up.

• Join an organized cigarette cleanup event, where cleanup kits will be provided.
• At your leisure use a cigarette litter kit between June 1 and 8 from any of our participating locations. Learn more here.
• Host your own cigarette litter cleanup.

SUPPORTING: ZERO WASTE 2040, HEALTHY WATERS PLAN