Monday July 11, 2024 | VICTORIA, BC
Socioeconomic analysis by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
As first reported here on July 8, in the middle of a heat wave the The Bay downtown store in Victoria has been closed due to a need for HVAC maintenance, according to store executive management. [See original article about HBC closures on July 8, 2024]
As it became more apparent that the store closure requirement was across several stores — mostly the older buildings — it brings to light the need for technical infrastructure to be kept up to date and maintained.
In addition to the downtown Victoria store, The Bay stores in these locations have also been closed down for at least a few days due to what is being called HVAC maintenance:
- Downtown Vancouver
- Southcentre Mall, Calgary
- Sevenoaks Shopping Centre, Abbotsford
- Coquitlam Centre
The Winnipeg store may also have been closed (yet to be confirmed).
Retail nightmare:
“The comfort and well-being of our customers and associates is always our top priority,” said HBC spokesperson Tiffany Bourré, VP, Corporate Communications, on July 8.
In the context of that statement, it behooves the question as to the management competence to keep systems maintained and/or the financial commitment of the Hudson Bay Company to keep their stores in top shape.
If it’s as simple as repair services not being available, that’s a louder call for overall management and infrastructure decision-making — no backup plan? Or perhaps The Bay is behind with payments to their HVAC service provider?
If there is a lack of repair service availability, perhaps that speaks to no trades people trained in much older HVAC systems in the stores.
There is nothing worse for the business bottom line than a store not having its doors open to its customers. That the HBC stores have been closed for so many days speaks to a deeper issue.
Cooling in hot weather:
All in all, the impact of increasingly warm temperatures in Canadian summers should motivate all businesses and facility operators to ensure the availability and functionality of air cooling equipment.
For example, back in the heat dome event of 2021 the Eagle Ridge Community Centre in Langford did not have adequate cooling which required relocation of COVID immunization services. Bringing in large fans was a backup option.
Communications during a service interruption also seems to be falling far short of modern expectation. Only cardboard signage at stores is reporting store closures. There is no mention of the closures on The Bay website(s).
Usual hours, community comfort:
The downtown store in Victoria is normally open daily during mall hours: 10 am to 6 pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sundays and longer from 10 am to 8 pm on Thursdays and Fridays.
As part of regular heat wave emergency advisory protocol, municipalities and other levels of government will advise people to seek refuge in air-cooled places like malls and recreation centres. Malls are privately owned, and may not see this level of public service as part of their mandate. Rec centres are largely funded by municipalities which may be budget-strapped.
The Q rec centre in Colwood undertook a cooling system upgrade starting in 2023.
===== RELATED:
- Bay store closed for HVAC repairs during heat wave (July 8, updated July 9 & 10, 2024)
- New cooling system being added to The Q Centre (July 27, 2023)
- Meteorologist tells UBCM: heat dome was no surprise (September 15, 2021)
- Lack of air conditioning: Island Health temporarily relocates July 30 Eagle Ridge COVID-19 immunization appointments (July 29, 2021)
- LANGFORD: Eagle Ridge June 28 COVID immunization appointments being rebooked (June 27, 2021)
- NEWS SECTIONS: HEALTH | BUSINESS & ECONOMY