CAPE BC - Canadian Ass'n of Physicians for the Environment BC

@cape-bc.bsky.social

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British Columbia Regional Committee of @cape-acme.bsky.social, the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. A physician-directed non-profit working to secure human health by protecting the planet. 🌎🩺

Defend Vancouver’s Climate Policy! Emergency Rally - Stop Sim’s climate clawback. We stopped Ken Sim and ABC from destroying climate progress in 204. We can stop them again. Wed, May 20, 8am to 930am. Vancouver City Hall, 853 West 12th Ave. Show up for your city!
TOMORROW: Join our own @drmelissalem.bsky.social at the LNG: Not in Our National Interest campaign launch. Learn why Ksi Lisims & LNG Canada Phase 2 fail Canadians and how clean energy wins. Week of Action details for mid-April! March 31 4pm PT / 7pmET on Zoom
December 8, 2025 Vancouver City Council City Hall 453 W 12th Ave Vancouver, BC V5Y 1V4 Re: December 10 Council Motions on Active Transportation and Transit Dear Mayor Sim and Members of Council, We are writing on behalf of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment - British Columbia (CAPE BC) and its hundreds of physician members across the province to express our strong support of three motions coming before Council on December 10: Improve Public Safety for Everyone in Vancouver Through Safer Intersections Supporting a Fare-Free Transit Route Pilot in Vancouver Assessing Motor Vehicle Speeding Risk at Vancouver's Most Dangerous Intersections Restricting Right Turn on Red at High-Risk Intersections As physicians and health professionals, we recognize that road safety is fundamentally a public health issue. Between 2020 and 2024, 3,505 cyclists and 3,079 pedestrians were injured on Vancouver streets, with pedestrians and cyclists accounting for 60% of road fatalities, highlighting the urgent need for a comprehensive approach to road safety in our city. Restricting right-turn-on-red (RoR) at Vancouver’s most dangerous intersections is a simple, inexpensive, and evidence-based action that will prevent injuries and save lives. RoR movements are well documented to increase collisions with people walking, biking, and rolling. The B.C. Ministry of Transportation cites research showing that RoR increases crashes with pedestrians by 60% and with cyclists by 100%. These collisions disproportionately harm seniors, children, and people with disabilities — groups already at higher risk of severe injury. Importantly, this motion targets locations where the risk is highest, and where RoR movements actively undermine safety treatments the City has already invested in. Allowing vehicles to turn through bike lanes or during leading pedestrian intervals (LPIs) creates conflict between
On December 10, Vancouver votes on 3 motions for a safer, healthier city. Here’s why it matters.
November 24, 2025 Dear Mayor Sim and Vancouver City Council, We write to express deep concern about the proposed 2026 budget cuts that significantly reduce funding to departments responsible for public health, climate resilience, safety, and equity. The draft budget proposes a 14% cut to Planning, Urban Design, and Sustainability; a 12% cut to Arts, Culture, and Community Services; a 13% cut to Real Estate, Environment, and Facilities Management; and a cut to Engineering. These departments deliver core services that protect people during extreme heat, reduce pollution, improve road safety, and support communities facing the greatest health risks. Cuts of this scale deepen existing inequities and place lives at risk. The 2021 heat dome caused 619 deaths in British Columbia, overwhelmingly among seniors, people living alone and without indoor cooling, low-income renters, those with mental illness, and residents of neighbourhoods with limited tree cover. We know heat emergencies will become more frequent and more severe in the coming years. The departments facing cuts are home to programs – including building retrofits, tree canopy expansion, green infrastructure, cooling centres, and neighbourhood-level resilience planning – that are among the most effective public health tools we have. Reducing funding for these departments could delay life-saving interventions and increase climate-related health harms for those already most exposed. Traffic violence remains one of the most persistent and preventable threats to public health and safety in Vancouver. Pedestrian injuries and deaths disproportionately affect lower-income neighbourhoods, and children, seniors, and people walking, cycling or using mobility aids bear the greatest burden. Cuts to planning, urban design, and engineering could delay or cancel projects such as safer crosswalks, signal upgrades, traffic-calming measures, and safe routes to schools. These interventions reduce serious injuries, save lives, a…
Image showing a line drawing of the planet earth with a blue sun, on a yellow background. Text reads: "Conference - virtual. Planetary Health Emergency: The Health Benefits of Climate Action. Saturday, October 25, 8am-4pm PT"
A large group of UBC medical students holding signs related to climate change and environmental health.
Who: Frack Free BC, Sue Big Oil, and the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment What: Connect the Dots community picnic When/Where: Wednesday, September 24 at 6-8 pm at Trout Lake Park (covered picnic shelter) Registration page: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/connect-the-dots-vancouver-tickets-1471437060859/
Poster for LNG Unpacked: Climate & Health Implications - October 1, 2025 - 7-8pm PT - Zoom With photos of speakers Dr. Rachel Grimminck and Dr. Bethany Ricker (Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment); Zachary Daly, RN (Canadian Association of Nurses for the Environment); and Emiko Newman (BC Climate Emergency Campaign)
An image of Dr. Ulrike Meyer, a Dawson Creek Physician, with the following text: "It's unacceptable that LNG companies profit while our patients living near fracking and LNG infrastructure pay the price: higher rates of asthma, pre-term birth, heart attacks, certain cancers, and premature death." - Dr. Ulrike Meyer, Dawson Creek Physician. ProtectHealthfromLNG.ca
Safer streets protect public health, safety, and the climate. Take action today: https://vancouver.ca/your-government/contact-council.aspx Slide includes a cartoon image of people walking on a paved pathway, with benches and trees in the background and a city skyline behind that.
A public health crisis on our streets. Between 2020 and 2024, over 3,000 pedestrians and 3,500 cyclists were injured on Vancouver streets, with people walking and biking making up 60% of traffic deaths. Bar graphs showing the increase over these 5 years. Vision Zero policy is health policy.
July 8, 2025 Vancouver City Council City Hall 453 W 12th Ave Vancouver, BC V5Y 1V4 Re: Support for Motion on Developing a Vision Zero Road Safety Policy and Action Plan Dear Mayor Sim and Members of Council, We are writing on behalf of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment - British Columbia (CAPE BC) and its hundreds of physician members across the province to express our support for Councillor Maloney's motion to develop a Vision Zero Road Safety Policy and Action Plan for the City of Vancouver. As physicians committed to protecting health through environmental action, we recognize that road safety is fundamentally a public health issue. The alarming statistics presented in the motion—3,505 cyclists and 3,079 pedestrians injured between 2020 and 2024, with pedestrians and cyclists accounting for 60% of road fatalities—highlight the urgent need for a comprehensive approach to road safety in our city. Safe active transportation infrastructure is essential for promoting healthier lifestyles while simultaneously addressing climate change. Research consistently demonstrates that active transportation provides significant health benefits while reducing environmental impacts. Safe Active Transportation as Preventive Medicine Well-designed active transportation infrastructure not only prevents injury and death but also supports a more physically active population, reducing rates of chronic disease, improving mental health, and cutting healthcare costs. Physical inactivity contributes to higher rates of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and several cancers. Studies show that 150 to 300 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week can reduce the risk of premature death from all causes by 14% to 26%. Yet less than half of adults in Canada achieve the minimum recommended levels of physical activity.
The Energy Mix: Canada’s LNG touted and doubted as transition fuel as doctors sound rhetorical alarm. “The departure of this first LNG tanker marks a troubling new chapter in British Columbia’s health story,” family physician and CAPE President Dr. Melissa Lem said in a release. “While industry celebrates, health care professionals are bracing for the consequences of expanded fracking operations. Fracking and LNG production accelerate climate change and release harmful pollutants—including benzene, toluene, formaldehyde, and particulate matter linked with asthma, heart disease, birth defects, and childhood leukemia.” Image shows an LNG tanker at the bottom of the page below the text. At the top is smoke laden sky.
Three doctors in white coats stand next to a cargo bike. All three are smiling. Two wear sunglasses. One has his arm slung over a model of the planet Earth.
Poster for the Vancouver Global Climate Strike. Text reads: Sunday, April 13, 2025 Global Climate Strike 1:00pm at Vancouver Art Gallery March and Rally
Flyer for an event. Text reads: "What should be our BC Climate Movement's Goals for the Next Five Years, 2025-2030? Thursday, February 20th, 6:30pm. Climate Action Provincial Assembly - includes You!" Featured speakers are shown. These are: Lori Goldman, First Things First Okanagan; Tracey Saxby, My Sea to Sky; Dr. Melissa Lem, CAPE; and Jeremy Valeriote, Green Party MLA.
A flyer for the event, including a photo of David Boyd. Text reads: Climate Justice and Human Rights. Webinar Wed Jan 29th @ 7:30pm with David Boyd. Recent UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment. Join here on Zoom." With logos below for Doctors for Planetary Health West Coast and CAPE.
Text reads: McGill (University) Natural Gas Detection Study Participate in a study: get your natural gas appliances tested for free and help us fight climate change How can I join? Do you have any natural gas appliances (stoves, boilers, water heaters, etc.)? Do you live in the Vancouver area? Sign up by scanning the QR code or filling the form in the URL below: http://forms.office.com/r/LAphKxbWtP