12 cities
PHOTO AMBER BRACKEN, THE NEW YORK TIMES ARCHIVES
Edmonton, Alberta
About 670 people in major Canadian cities lost their lives due to extreme heat days in Canada from 2000 to 2021, according to a new study from Statistics Canada. The study looked at 12 cities with populations of more than 500,000: Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Ottawa, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Mississauga, Vancouver, Brampton, Hamilton, Surrey and Quebec. These cities represent 34% of the country’s population.
Extreme heat
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
For Montreal, an extreme heat event represents two consecutive days where it is 32 degrees or more, or one day where the humidity is more than 40.
“In the 12 cities, approximately 670 excess non-accidental deaths, 115 excess deaths whose cause is of cardiovascular origin and 115 excess deaths whose cause is of respiratory origin were attributable to extreme heat events during the period under study,” notes the document. For Montreal, an extreme heat event represents two consecutive days where it is 32˚C degrees or more, or one day where the humidity is more than 40.
Underlying disease
PHOTO PHILIPPE BOIVIN, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The risks of death from non-accidental causes are 9% higher for all age groups on days of extreme heat.
Didier Garriguet, scientific editor at Statistics Canada, reports that the risk of mortality from non-accidental causes is 9% higher for all age groups on days of extreme heat. “We notice that people aged 65 and over are a little more at risk, due to heatstroke, or more often from indirect causes, such as suffering from an underlying illness which is aggravated by extreme heat” , he said. Mr. Garriguet expects an increase in deaths due to heat in the coming years. “We had on average 3.5 days of extreme heat per year in the period studied, and I think we are already at more than 3 days for this year, and it is only June. So, yes, we anticipate an increase. »
Tenants beware!
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
In Montreal and Toronto, respectively 61% and 48% of households are renters.
Montreal reported an excess mortality of non-accidental origin of 295 from 2000 to 2020, compared to 250 in Toronto and 32 in Quebec. This is because extreme heat does not affect everyone equally. “In general, mortality risks during extreme heat events were higher in cities with greater proportions of renting households,” the study notes. This is particularly the case in Montreal and Toronto, where respectively 61% and 48% of households are renters. “People living in rental housing are much less likely to have air conditioning compared to provincial averages,” note the researchers.
470 deaths in Quebec
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
High summer temperatures are associated with greater use of health services.
Furthermore, in another study on the issue, a team from the National Institute of Scientific Research demonstrated that every summer, in Quebec, high temperatures are associated with 470 deaths, 225 hospitalizations, 36,000 emergency room visits, 7,200 ambulance transport and 15,000 calls to Info-Santé. This health burden was especially concentrated during the 5% of the hottest days of the summer, with nearly 200 deaths, 170 hospitalizations, 6,200 emergency room visits, 1,500 ambulance transports and 3,300 calls to Info-Santé, according to the study. published in the scientific journal Environmental Research.
With The Canadian Press