Extreme heat for vulnerable populations

(Montreal) The heat wave hitting Quebec is undermining the well-being of certain more vulnerable populations who are forced to adapt as best they can.

Certain populations seem to lack the means to cope with this heat wave which Environment Canada compared this Wednesday to the “worst heat waves of July and August”.

Health Canada scientists are particularly warning the most vulnerable people of the “serious health risks” that this heat episode can cause.

In search of water

Barely leaving the premises of the CACTUS supervised injection center when Jean-François Bigras collapses on the hot concrete of the sidewalk near his dog Roxie to splash his face with water using two small plastic bottles freshly filled.

Being currently homeless, he is looking for places to cool off as best he can. Although he used to frequent public libraries for this purpose, he explains that he is no longer welcome there anymore.

“Everywhere we go, people crowd us,” says Jean-François Bigras. There is a water trough in the small park near the Father’s House, but they have not opened it yet. »

He explains that he uses a water tap near the shelter to cool off and regularly fill up with water.

At his side, sitting on a concrete block, William Budgel, also homeless, talks about how he is doing to get through the heat wave.

Being Algonquian, the latter can benefit from accommodation resources intended for indigenous people. He does not hesitate to share it with Jean-François by inviting him there as is permitted so that he can refresh himself.

The Montreal regional public health department (DRSP) invites those responsible for private and public places to “show kindness towards people experiencing homelessness”, and to open the doors to them when they wish to cool off.

Adaptation and flexibility in schools

While recess is in full swing, the water flows to the entrance of Le Mennais primary school where the water jets installed for the occasion delight the children.

A short-lived moment of coolness, because the thermostat inside the school exceeds 30 degrees despite the adaptations put in place by management.

“In the classes, the higher you go, the hotter it gets, it’s certain that the afternoons are painful,” explains the director of the establishment, Mireille Langlois. I can’t wait to see if the government or the Montreal school service center will take steps, because I personally do not have an envelope specifically for air conditioning. »

The “asset maintenance budget” given by the provincial government would not be sufficient to provide the establishment with air conditioners in addition to ensuring its renovation throughout the year.

She explains that she therefore preferred to invest in fans for each class in order to save money. Faced with the heat penetrating the building, one teacher even brought his own air conditioner to cool his classroom.

The director also had to reassign the administration’s few air conditioners for the benefit of everyone. The employees’ room has become one of the rare places of freshness in this century-old building and we had to organize ourselves so that it could benefit as many people as possible.

“We have a rotation so that the classes benefit from the freshness of the employee room,” adds Mireille Langlois.

For the president of the Montreal Association of School Directors (AMDES), Kathleen Legault, adaptation to these heat waves does not seem to be a “priority for the government”.

She thus denounces a “lack of leadership” from the Ministry of Education which is content to invite schools to use their asset maintenance budget to purchase air conditioners.

“We really have to get started and it is absolutely necessary that all our renovations and new constructions take this new climatic context into account,” adds Kathleen Legault.

Anger rumbles on construction sites

The heat is unbearable on construction sites and it is even more so on those where the road surface or “paving” must be done continuously. A practice denounced by site workers who see their working conditions affected due to the impossibility of stopping the machines until the asphalting is completed.

This coating technique is currently used on the site located north of the metropolitan area on Viau Boulevard. The workers who have been there since the start of the day are now threatening to stop the construction site if the Ministry of Transport (MTQ) does nothing.

“Workers everywhere are told to take regular breaks, but it seems like workers [qui font du pavage continu] are exempt from this formula,” explains the union representative for the Alliance Asphalte, François Perreault.

In addition to the heat released by the recently manufactured asphalt, employees on Viau Boulevard would be “forced to work non-stop” with no place in the shade to rest.

For François Perreault, continuous paving raises ethical issues which deteriorate the health of workers.

Some seniors are ready

Many seniors are not experiencing their first heat wave, which has allowed them to develop certain reflexes to overcome the heat of recent days.

This is the case of Catherine Tessier whose age is “much higher than retirement age”.

“As long as I’m going out, I’m not going to go out between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.,” she said as she left a library. His little secret: avoid too icy water and add a little lemon to his water. Catherine Tessier considers herself lucky to live in a home where the coolness persists.

This is not the case for Clyde Dennie who preferred the seats installed in the Village on Sainte-Catherine Street to his home without air conditioning where the thermostat is around 30 degrees.

“At least there is a little wind here,” said the 78-year-old. I need to find a place with air conditioning, but there aren’t many in the Village. »

Environment Canada explains that “it is possible that records will be broken” while the current heat wave does not seem to have said its last word.

With the collaboration of Léa Carrier