Heritage Canada says heat wave won’t stop party on Parliament Hill
Heritage Canada says it’s never cancelled Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill because of the heat and it doesn’t plan on breaking that streak this year, either.
With temperatures expected to rise into the mid 30s — and feel more like 40 C with the humidex — officials are taking extra precautions to make sure everyone is as safe as possible, and that they have many opportunities to cool down.
“Right now we’re focused on an extreme heat wave,” said Natalie Huneault, spokeswoman for Heritage Canada. She said she’s confident that even with blisteringly hot temperatures the show will go on. To that end, Heritage Canada is bringing more heat mitigation measures to the Canada Day celebrations.
“We have our water stations, which we’ve more or less doubled in capacity,” said Huneault. There will be seven in total, spread across Major’s Hill Park and Parliament Hill. “Bring something, a refillable cup or a bottle, that you can fill up.”
In addition to extra water stations, there will be several misting stations and misting fans that will spray cool water on anyone who is feeling a bit too hot. Misting and water stations will be scattered across the grounds.
Ottawa paramedics said that while they regularly increase their staffing levels on Canada Day, they are particularly focused this year on ensuring that everyone stays safe in the heat.
Marc-Antoine Deschamps, paramedic spokesman, said people should be focused on getting enough water this weekend, whether they are going to Parliament Hill or not.
“The main message is that you have to stay hydrated,” he said on Friday. “Drink lots of fluid, avoid anything with caffeine or alcohol. These things will actually dehydrate you.”
However, many people celebrating this weekend will not want to go without an alcoholic beverage or two. Deschamps gets that.
“We’re not saying not to have a beer,” he said. “But make sure you have a lot of fluids.”
There will also be food available on Parliament Hill this year, which was not the case in 2017. In some cases, said Deschamps, paramedics were giving away their own lunches last year to people who needed it. Deschamps also encouraged people going to the Hill to take advantage of those misting stations.
“They can be very useful,” he said. “Misting tents will help you dissipate heat … It’s not like being in a pool, but it’s very useful.”
Heat exhaustion and dehydration are the most common things paramedics see, said Deschamps. But they are not the entirety of the dangers: “When you get into heat stroke your body can no longer regulate its temperature. At that point, it can get quite severe,” he explained, adding that while there are normally warning signs before heat stroke sets in, that it is not always the case.
Huneault said Heritage Canada isn’t expecting anything to get cancelled but said those decisions are made on an ongoing basis.
“Public safety is always No. 1, and we’re always monitoring the weather,” she said.