Killer heat claims more victims
Deaths of at least 17 chronically ill or elderly people in Quebec attributed to hot weather
The sweltering heat and suffocating humidity that have blanketed Eastern and Central Canada have contributed to the deaths of at least 17 people in Quebec over the last few days, health officials said Wednesday.
And with the muggy temperatures expected to persist for at least another two days, authorities are urging people to remain vigilant.
Montreal health officials said there have been 12 heat-related deaths since the weekend, while authorities in the Eastern Townships region east of Montreal are attributing another five deaths to the weather.
Dr. Melissa Genereux, head of public health in the Eastern Townships, told a news conference the victims are all adults — either seniors or people suffering from chronic illness. The deaths were not concentrated in any specific municipality.
“There are still two days left of particularly hot weather with particularly high humidex levels,” Genereux said. “We’re inviting the population to be vigilant for the next two days — for themselves as well as those close to them.”
Officials across the province advised people to drink plenty of water and check in on neighbours or relatives and, if need be, get them to a place where air conditioning is available.
“It could save a life,” Genereux said.
Environment Canada says a heat warning remains in effect for an area spanning southwestern and northeastern Ontario through southern Quebec and into the Atlantic region, with above-normal temperatures and humid conditions likely to stick around into today.
Dr. David Kaiser, physician manager at Montreal’s public health authority, said officials aren’t surprised by the number of deaths in the metropolis.
“We would prefer having no deaths related to heat but with four days of intense heat and especially hot nights, we expect to see an impact on people’s health,” Kaiser said.
He said the Montreal heat exposure victims were between 50 and 80.
“None of the people we’ve identified in the last four days had air conditioning at home,” Kaiser noted.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted condolences to the relatives of the Quebec victims.
No deaths have been reported in other provinces. In Ontario, a spokeswoman for the coroner’s office said it couldn’t confirm if there were any heat-related deaths, adding it could take weeks or several months to complete such probes.
Kaiser said one reason Quebec has been reporting so many deaths is because it’s part of the province’s extreme heat plan, where health officials work in tandem with first responders and emergency rooms to track down potential cases of heat-related illnesses and deaths.
“We go out to the paramedics, we go out to the hospitals and we ask them to make sure to identify any deaths they believe are related to heat, and that allows us to intervene more quickly,” Kaiser said.
He cited a case in recent days in which a death in a home for the elderly led authorities to move five other people deemed at risk to a facility equipped with air conditioning.
Police and firefighters also continued to go door to door in areas identified as having people considered at high risk: those with chronic illness or mental-health problems, those who live alone and people without air conditioning at home.
Juneuary has become a popular nickname for the month of June, but last month was actually warmer and drier than usual.
The average temperature in Kelowna was 18 C, compared to the long-term average of 16.6 C for the month.
And 32 millimetres of rain fell, which is well below the norm of 46 mm for the month.
Average temperatures in Penticton were about a half-degree cooler than normal, although the Peach City also experienced less rain than usual, at just 75 per cent of average.
Juneuary began creeping into popular usage a few years ago to express people’s frustration at what seemed to be unusually cool and rainy weather in a month many expect to be warm and dry.
But the reality is June is usually the wettest month of the year in Kelowna, says Doug Lundquist, an Environment Canada meteorologist. And the average temperatures are considerably below the peaks of July and August.
Looking forward, today should herald the start of a stretch of mostly fine summer weather, with a high of 31 C under sunny skies. The forecast for Friday is the same, and then showers and a high of 24 C are forecast for Saturday. After that, however, the forecast calls for lots of sun and highs around 30 C.