You essentially can’t hide from it at this point, but the heat has turned up over the last few days, with a warning in place for much of the South Coast and of course, New Westminster is included.

How are you planning to stay cool? In case you need it, we’ve got a bunch of options for you to consider, depending on your needs.

Cooling Centres

The City of New Westminster has four locations you can head to this year to cool off. These include:

• Century House

• Queensborough Community Centre

• New Westminster Public Library, main branch—please note that there are no pets allowed at this location.

• Anvil Centre

The City has also provided a poster that people can use for their buildings as the temperatures go up.

In the event of extreme heat…

Extreme heat protocols are put into place if temperatures reach at least 33 degrees during the day, and 17 degrees at night. This has to be the case for two consecutive days. However, the City previously told The Anchor centres can be activated as needed. This is important, especially after New West had the highest rates of deaths per capita during the heat dome, at approximately 41 per 100,000 people.

Does New West have pools?

There are a couple of options: there’s the Moody Park Pool and the Hume Park Pool, both of which are outdoors. The Grimston Wading Pool is also an outdoor option but is only open under specific conditions.

Parks and outdoor spaces

There are some great outdoor spaces in New West. Some of the relatively large tree cover and sheltered spots can be found at places like:

• Tipperary Park. This park is situated steps away from City Hall. Not only does it have some awesome tree cover, but the little water features also make for peaceful time in the shade.

• The trails at Glenbrook Ravine. Located in the Sapperton neighbourhood, the trails—especially the portions with the taller trees—are a great way to cool off.

• Moody Park. There are also some areas with great tree coverage, and some of those are near the spray park.  

• Queen’s Park. Arguably the space with the most trees in one area, there are a number of options for picnics and even trail walking that will provide shelter from the sun. Sometimes, New West Parks and Recreation will even open up the skating rink for a summer session.

• Ryall Park. Ryall Park has a number of sheltered picnic tables that can be used with or without a reservation.

• Queensborough Community Centre. There are some trail areas not far from the Centre where you can go for a walk under the shade of the trees.  

Local spray parks

Ryall Park, Sapperton Park, Hume Park, Queen’s Park and Moody Park have spray areas where the young and young-at-heart can cool down.

Misting stations

There are a handful of misting stations throughout the city, including:

• Hyack Square

• Library Square

• Westminster Pier Park

• Thompson’s Landing

Cold treats

Some examples include:

• New West concession stands. Find these at locations like Westminster Pier Park and Queen’s Park. Their hours may vary, and you can find options like cold drinks and ice cream.

• Take THE Cake. This award-winning Queensborough bakery spot sells ice cream and milkshakes.

• Anny’s Dairy Bar. This long-time New West staple can be found Uptown.

• Rocky Point Ice Cream. It’s a popular mom-and-pop stop for ice cream, with a couple dozen flavours to choose from. They also typically extend their hours over the summer.

The ‘Stay Cool’ map

If you’d rather take your cues visually, there is a great map from the City of New Westminster that’ll highlight where you can find a misting station, drinking fountain, spray park, and more.

If needed, you can also reach out to the Extreme Weather and Emergency Response Info line at 604-239-4936.

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