‘Every part of me is sweating’

Extreme heat takes over Eastern Canada

This article was written by Joe Bongiorno and Jordan Omstead, and was published in the Toronto Star on June 19, 2024.

A construction worker eats a popsicle to keep cool in downtown Montreal Tuesday. The day’s beating sun sent many people into shallow public water fountains for relief.

A heat wave gripped Ontario and Quebec for a second consecutive day on Tuesday, while dangerously hot and humid conditions settled in over parts of Atlantic Canada.

Environment Canada has issued multiple warnings of high temperatures this week — in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, daytime highs could hit 35 C, with the humidity making it feel like it’s above 40.

Winnie Brown, a resident of Toronto’s densely populated St. James Town neighbourhood, said her portable air conditioner was no match for the sweltering heat in her highrise apartment. When extreme heat aggravates her asthma, Brown said she has sought relief in Toronto’s cooling centres or has spent days at her sister’s home.

“It’s getting hotter, very hot,” said Brown, who has lived in her building for more than 35 years. “When it gets so hot, I can’t breathe.”

Rain in the Greater Toronto Area on Tuesday morning offered an early but brief break from the heat before the temperatures climbed steadily through the day. Environment Canada advised high levels of air pollution were possible across parts of southern Ontario into the afternoon and evening.

New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island were placed under a heat warning Tuesday. In Fredericton, the mercury topped out around 32 C, according to Environment Canada data.

In Montreal, the beating sun sent people into shallow public water fountains for relief on Tuesday.

Aga Baczynski, who was visiting from British Columbia, dipped her feet in a fountain outside a historic train station. Behind her, a person soaked themselves in a spray jet.

“Every part of me is sweating,” she said.

Seated on a bench nearby and basking in the sun, Guylaine Gaudet said she planned for the scorching temperatures by wearing breathable clothes and bringing along a bottle of water.

“It reminds me of Mexico, where I was three weeks ago, so that’s OK,” she said with a laugh.

Montreal’s Old Brewery Mission had extra water and beverages stocked Tuesday as it offered people experiencing homelessness a spot to cool off in air conditioning.

“We encourage Montrealers to carry water with them. If they have a purse or a backpack … throw bottled water in there and give it out if you see somebody in need,” said James Hughes, the organization’s CEO.

Hughes also applauded the city’s efforts to extend library hours and get sprinklers going in public parks.

Author: Ray Nakano

Ray is a retired, third generation Japanese Canadian born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario. He resides in Toronto where he worked for the Ontario Government for 28 years. Ray was ordained by Thich Nhat Hanh in 2011 and practises in the Plum Village tradition, supporting sanghas in their mindfulness practice. Ray is very concerned about our climate crisis. He has been actively involved with the ClimateFast group (https://climatefast.ca) for the past 5 years. He works to bring awareness of our climate crisis to others and motivate them to take action. He has created the myclimatechange.home.blog website, for tracking climate-related news articles, reports, and organizations. He has created mobilizecanada.ca to focus on what you can do to address the climate crisis. He is always looking for opportunities to reach out to communities, politicians, and governments to communicate about our climate crisis and what we need to do. He says: “Our world is in dire straits. We have to bend the curve on our heat-trapping pollutants in the next few years if we hope to avoid the most serious impacts of human-caused global warming. Doing nothing is not an option. We must do everything we can to create a livable future for our children, our grandchildren, and all future generations.”