A heat wave will sweep through Quebec starting this Tuesday with temperatures feeling over 40. Visit water games, air-conditioned places and stay hydrated: to face the coming days, Montreal recommends that its citizens refresh yourself as often as possible.
At La Fontaine Park on Monday, parents and children were already taking advantage of the water games to escape the stifling heat that had begun to set in late in the afternoon.
A few hours earlier, Environment Canada had issued a heat warning for the regions of Montreal, the Capitale-Nationale, Outaouais, Abitibi, the Laurentians, Lanaudière, Montérégie, Estrie and Centre-du-Québec.
“Maximum temperatures between 30 and 35°C followed by overnight lows above 20°C are expected. Humidex values will exceed 40 in the afternoon Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Heat and humidity will decrease starting Friday,” the federal agency warned.
With such scorching heat forecast, parents are pleased that schools have taken precautions to get through the coming days.
“I hope it goes well. On Wednesday and Thursday [my daughter’s primary school groups] are going to water games, so that’s good,” says Alexandra Lichtiger Langouet as she supervises her children running through the park’s jets.
Noémie Girard is the mother of a child in the 2nd year of elementary school. Even though her child’s school is not air-conditioned, she was reassured by the measures taken by management: “They canceled certain outings, bought new fans and favored activities in the shade and quiet, so it’s OK. »
“We make sure that recess and time spent outside is as shaded as possible. Students may remain indoors depending on the situation,” indicated the Montreal School Service Center.
Teenagers are less fortunate. With only a few days remaining in the school year, parents are concerned about the lack of air conditioning in schools during the ministerial exam period.
“We are enormously [worried] about concentration,” says Isabelle Pagé, mother of a child in the first year of secondary school. The latter’s school is not air-conditioned, but there are fans in the classrooms.
Quebec wants to be reassuring. “All of the exams scheduled for this week will take place in the morning, so that they take place during the coolest periods of the day,” assures Esther Chouinard, press relations manager for the Quebec Ministry of Education.
The City reminds citizens that several refreshment places are open to welcome them during this heat period. In all, 184 water features, around forty indoor pools and 25 outdoor pools, as well as several misters, will be accessible across the metropolis.
Municipal authorities strongly encourage the population to take advantage of these facilities in the coming days, as well as the libraries, which are air-conditioned.
Despite the oppressive heat, municipal authorities will not open heat centers until the extreme heat criteria are reached, i.e. three consecutive days with temperatures above 33 degrees or two consecutive nights with temperatures higher than 25 degrees.
“However, civil security is mobilized and monitors the situation on a regular basis,” explains Philippe Sabourin, spokesperson for the City of Montreal.
Construction workers who work outdoors are also extremely at risk from the consequences of this heat wave. “Often, we take it lightly, but every year or almost, there are deaths [on construction sites],” laments Félix Ferland, vice-president and health and safety manager for CSN-Construction.
“It’s really miserable, finding water on a construction site, and some construction sites don’t even have air-conditioned trailers, so we can understand that it gets excessively hot for the workers,” explains Mr. Ferland.
It is therefore recommended that workers on construction sites do not wait before hydrating and do not hesitate to take their breaks to refresh themselves.
People experiencing homelessness are particularly vulnerable to heat waves.
“It increases the risk of accidental overdoses, when we mix a cocktail of heat, consumption, whether drugs or alcohol,” says Marie-Pier Therrien, director of communications for the Old Brewery Mission. The organization also offers services 24/7 in air-conditioned locations where these people can come and cool off.
The City also affirms that its specialized intervention team for this vulnerable population will patrol with “increased vigilance”.
“We will also support [them] by distributing bottles of water,” says Philippe Sabourin.
