COOL, COOL WATER
Lilia Moon, 10, finds relief from the oppressive heat at the wading pool in Hampton Park. Elsewhere, Aedan Helmer reports, the city has opened three cooling centres.
With a thick blanket of hot, humid air settling across the National Capital Region, the City of Ottawa opened three emergency cooling centres Tuesday and is exploring other sites across the city as a heat wave is expected to last into the weekend.
The centres, at Bernard-Grandmaître Arena, 309 McArthur Rd.; Ron Kolbus Lakeside Centre, 102 Greenview Ave.; and Heron Road Community Centre, 1480 Heron Rd. will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, with possible extensions if the weather warrants.
The city’s emergency operations centre is monitoring daily demand at the centres, said Pierre Poirier, manager of security and emergency management.
The three cooling-centre locations were selected based on the city’s maps “identifying the locations of priority populations,” Poirier said in a statement.
“We continue to look for other possible cooling centre sites to meet the needs of disadvantaged and vulnerable populations in our community.”
Coun. Catherine McKenney spoke with city staff about opening a centre in the high-density downtown core, and suggested opening city hall as an emergency cooling centre.
Gatineau’s city hall on Tuesday opened its air-conditioned agora to those looking to cool off, with staff screening visitors before they are admitted. Maison du Citoyen at 25 rue Laurier will be accessible from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. until Saturday.
The ground floor of Ottawa City Hall, McKenney said, is likewise a large area with air conditioning and some staffing already on hand.
“So, to open the ground floor for a cooling centre really wouldn’t take a lot of effort,” McKenney said.
“It’s really critical that we have something in the downtown.
“It’s too hot, it’s too dangerous for seniors, for people living on low incomes, for households that don’t have air conditioning. Once this goes on for days, you get no relief.”
Staff have a difficult job identifying potential centres, McKenney said, because provincial COVID -19 rules allow only one public activity at any one facility.
“So once you open a centre for one reason, you can’t have another activity,” McKenney said.
Poirier said that in addition to the temporary emergency cooling centres, the McNabb Recreation Centre, at 180 Percy St., has been open to Centretown residents since early April and is both a COVID-19 drop-in and a respite centre for area residents.
“As well, the City opened day camps in several community and recreation centres,” Poirier said. “Most day camp sites are unable to accommodate both the camp programming and cooling centre operations.
“The Emergency Operations Centre reviews the uptake at emergency cooling centres on a daily basis, and monitors weather conditions to determine whether to continue operating the centres.”
The heat wave is expected to last through the week, says an Environment Canada heat warning for the region, with daytime high temperatures above 30 C, and with humidex values in the high 30s to low 40s expected all week.
The warm nights, with overnight lows near 20 degrees, will offer little relief from the heat.
Meteorologists are tracking a slightly cooler air mass that may move into the National Capital region by the weekend, but said “there is considerable uncertainty.”
Environment Canada is warning a few areas in Eastern Ontario may experience “extreme heat” into Saturday. ahelmer@postmedia.com Twitter.com/ helmera