Deaths rise as record heat continues to scorch southern Quebec

Ambulance service says it’s reached its limit, asks people with mild symptoms to seek help elsewhere Officials in Montreal and the Eastern Townships are urging people to check on their neighbours and loved ones, especially those without access to air conditioning, as the heat wave gripping the regions peaks and is being blamed for 18 deaths. The toll of heat-related deaths in the province rose by eight in total between Tuesday and Wednesday. Twelve have been confirmed in the Montreal area, five in the Eastern Townships and one in Laval. The wave started last Friday and is the worst to hit 4uebec in decades..” Mayor asks for public’s help Montreal Mayor 9alprie Plante said at a news conference that, “we’re doing everything we can.” She pointed to the city’s response, which includes opening swimming pools and air-conditioned areas to the public, distributing water to those in need and having first responders checking in on vulnerable citizens. Plante said 15,000 people were visited by firefighters and police yesterday to make sure they could cope with the heat. She also called on the public for help responding to the heatwave. “I’m counting on Montrealers to knock on doors, maybe of a neighbour, just to find out if the person is OK. It’s a team effort,” Plante said. Check on the elderly “Think about your neighbours think about your family members, grandpa, grandma think about your kids, your friends,” said Mplissa *pnpreux, the director of public health in the Eastern Townships. “Why not give them a call, a visit, take them out of the house a bit of cool air could do some good and save lives.” *pnpreux and avid Kaiser, of Montreal’s public health department, have said those who died in both regions didn’t have air conditioning in their homes and had health issues. Speaking on CBC’s The Current, Kaiser said temperatures recorded by paramedics in these cases reached the high 30s inside the victims’ apartments. “What we know about why heat kills people is that people with underlying medical problems are more vulnerable to accumulating heat,” Kaiser said. “So, after a couple days of being hot and living in a place with no air conditioning, the heat just overwhelms the body’s capacity to adapt.” Kaiser said city workers are knocking on doors to identify people in similar situations and get them medical help, or to a cooling shelter.