City changes cooling centre opening policy

Pressure from councillors, poverty activists push Toronto to switch its heat-alert guidelines

Cooling centres will open on the first day of a heat alert, a policy improvement advocates had been calling for over the former three-day wait.

“This is a win. No doubt about that,” said Cathy Crowe, nurse, poverty advocate and Ryerson professor, who had been among those calling for the change.

Last week, the Star highlighted Crowe’s and others’ concerns over what vulnerable people suffer in Toronto’s increasingly hotter climate.

The former policy called for opening the cooling centres only once temperatures hit the official “extreme” heat of 31 C and stayed there for three days, prompting an extended heat warning.

“In the summertime, it’s hot and it’s only getting hotter. We should be paying more attention to that.” JOE MIHEVC COUNCILLOR AND CHAIR OF TORONTO’S BOARD OF HEALTH

On Wednesday, Toronto Public Health officials said it would reduce the requirement to a one-day wait, effective immediately.

“I am absolutely delighted,” said Councillor Joe Mihevc, chair of the city’s board of health, who had worked with Councillor Joe Cressy and Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam during the negotiations.

“How quickly that happened is really a testament to how hard staff and (activists) worked to get this done,” Mihevc said, adding he hopes officials will take the threat of heat more seriously, in the way the danger of cold weather is understood.

“We’re a cold climate. We’re used to that,” Mihevc said.

“In the summertime, it’s hot and it’s only getting hotter. We should be paying more attention to that. . . . We have to prepare for the heat just as much as the extreme cold.”

Crowe says the new guideline is a victory, even if there’s still more to do.

“Of course, there’s more to do. I would like to see meals and entertainment, as well as better transportation at the (cooling centres). They should feel like more of a place for people to actually relax and not just stay hydrated and cool.”

Since 2012, Toronto’s centres have been opened more than 20 times, most of those in the month of July and close to half in 2012.

Some have suggested cost is a major limitation to opening the centres more often.

Mihevc said having the centres open costs about $3,000 a day, and the annual budget is $30,000.

Mihevc acknowledges that the question of extra funding for the extra days has not been solved, but he is confident careful budgeting will go a long way to keeping the centres open.

“There is no extra funding to my knowledge, but we can look into better use of that money,” he said.

“Squeeze as much of (the budget) out as we can and see where we go from there.”