City asks Montrealers to check on neighbours during heat wave

Montreal is simmering in its first heat wave of 2019, and Mayor Valérie Plante said an intervention will be launched if the risk to public health becomes an emergency.

"The city is in a space where they're watching and being vigilant," Plante said Wednesday.

The temperature is expected to push past 32 C Wednesday and will steadily increase until it hits 34 C Friday.

The city hopes it can avoid intervening for what is such a short heat wave, as long as people are mindful of their health and can be counted on to check on elderly or isolated neighbours. 

"We can't be in constant intervention mode," said Montreal public health's Dr. David Kaiser.

An intervention would mean workers would visit homes door-to-door and hand out water bottles to the city's homeless.

Environment Canada meteorologist André Cantin agreed — he said heat waves like this are normal for southern Quebec.

Environment Canada's heat warning is for the Montreal, Laval and Gatineau areas.

It advises people to limit physical activity, wear light clothes and not leave a child alone in a vehicle or closed room.

"Generally, we need a heat wave longer than [three days] to have an impact on health. But people need to drink a lot of water. That's the main thing," Cantin said.

Cool off in a pool or air-conditioned places, says city 

The city said it's monitoring indicators of a health emergency to judge if it needs to intervene.— such as the number of calls to 911.

Plante recommended residents spend time in the city's pools or in air-conditioned places like a mall or library.

Some boroughs are extending their hours for pools and splash pads to help residents get through to the weekend.

Special concern for seniors

The Conseil pour la protection des malades (CPM), an advocacy group for users of Quebec's health care network and health care institutions, announced last week that it is worried the province's CHSLDs aren't prepared for the heat.

"Too many people have died last year in those facilities," the CPM said in a news release. 

Marguerite Blais, the province's seniors' minister, countered on Wednesday that Quebec's long-term care homes are all equipped with at least one dehumidified or air-conditioned area.

Relief will come overnight Friday as a cold front sweeps through southern Quebec and brings normal temperatures back. Saturday is expected to be 26 C.