Heat Warning issued for Toronto

TORONTO, Aug. 5, 2018 /CNW/ - Based on information from Environment and Climate Change Canada, Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto's Medical Officer of Health, has issued a Heat Warning for Toronto today. The Heat Warning will be in effect until further notice.

During a Heat Warning, members of the public are encouraged to visit family, friends and neighbours, especially isolated adults and seniors who are at greater risk of suffering from heat-related illness, to make sure they are cool and drinking plenty of fluids. Other groups at risk include people with chronic illnesses, individuals with limited mobility or certain mental health illnesses, infants and young children, people on certain medications and those who are homeless.

In addition to swimming pools, beaches and air-conditioned shopping malls, Toronto has 180 air-conditioned community centres and local libraries in neighbourhoods across the city. For people experiencing homelessness, TTC tokens are available at several drop-ins throughout the city to be used to get to cool places. Details are available at http://www.toronto.ca/homelesshelp.  

There are also many other places where people can go to escape the heat, including the City's cooling centres. These locations are air-conditioned places for people to rest indoors and receive a cool drink and light snack. Staff who are trained to assist residents affected by the extreme heat are on hand at the seven cooling centre locations. These locations along with a comprehensive list of air-conditioned spaces across the city where residents can go to escape the heat are available at https://bit.ly/2HV9dUr.

Members of the public are advised to beat the heat by taking these precautions:

• Drink lots of cool water even before you feel thirsty.
• Go to air-conditioned places such as shopping malls, local libraries and community centres.
• Take cool showers or baths or use cool wet towels to cool down.
• Wear loose, light-coloured, breathable clothing and, when outdoors, wear a
  wide-brimmed hat.
• Avoid the sun and stay in the shade or use an umbrella.
• Reschedule or plan outdoor activities so they take place during cooler parts of the day.
• Make sure that elderly people, children or pets are not left unattended in a car.

Landlords of buildings without air conditioning are encouraged to provide a dedicated cooling room for vulnerable residents to escape the heat. Community agencies are encouraged to educate clients on the risks of heat-related illness and to call or check on those clients who are at increased risk of heat-related illness during warnings.

More information about how to beat the heat is available at http://www.toronto.ca/health/keepcool.

Air pollution often increases during hot weather conditions. People with heart and lung conditions, seniors and parents/guardians of young children should pay special attention to the hourly Air Quality Health Index levels and forecasts available at https://bit.ly/2HFE1gn.

Information to help residents prepare for extreme weather and weatherproof their homes is available at http://www.toronto.ca/extremeweatherready.

Toronto is Canada's largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of about 2.8 million people. It is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world's most livable cities. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can visit http://www.toronto.ca, call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/TorontoComms, on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/cityofto or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/cityofto.

SOURCE Toronto Public Health