Pandemic closures leave few places to cool off in Windsor-Essex
CBC News | Posted: May 26, 2020 11:25 PM | Last Updated: May 26, 2020
City's hands are tied when it comes to opening more cooling centres, says mayor
Southwestern Ontario's current heatwave is putting the region's most vulnerable people at risk — and in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there's not as many places for people to go to cool down.
Those looking to escape the heat might typically flock to city libraries, arenas and community centres, but the pandemic has forced all of those locations to close down.
Ken Breault's only source of shelter from the heat has been the shade of a fence. He's struggling to find an apartment to rent and is staying in a room without air conditioning for the time being.
"I [normally] hide out at McDonalds, Tim Hortons. I can't hide out at these places right now, so I'm hiding out in the shade," said Breault.
Street Help, a shelter and soup kitchen in the city, has opened up a window where people can go and pick up food. Normally, clients would be allowed inside the air-conditioned building for refuge from the heat, but not this time.
"We can't do that because of the situation with COVID-19 ... We can not open the doors for that," said Street Help volunteer Anthony Nelson.
"Some of them are really stressed. Some are feeling like this shouldn't happen. You want the homeless to be somewhere where they can be relaxed and sit down and enjoy a good meal."
Since April, the gym inside Windsor Water World has been used as a day space for vulnerable populations to grab food and take a rest — all while following physical distancing guidelines, of course.
But according to the Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens, the city's hands are tied when it comes to opening up any other facilities.
"This is really a difficult time, especially when you're in the middle of COVID to do what we normally do — to have libraries open or community centres or arenas open," said Dilkens.
"We really encourage people to take advantage of the free outreach workers that are delivering free water to people — and if you know someone who's vulnerable who you can check on, knock on their door or give them a phone call just to make sure that they're OK."
The hot weather is expected to stick around through the next few days, with cooler temperatures expected to arrive this Friday, according to Environment Canada.
Until then, the Windsor-Essex Country Health Unit is advising people to stay out of the sun if possible and drink lots of water during the heatwave. For those who start to feel sick, heat stroke is a concern so it is important to seek medical help.