Where do Ottawa’s homeless find relief from extreme heat? (2024)

As temperatures and humidity soar during the first major heat wave of the summer, front-line workers are hitting the streets to help Ottawa’s most vulnerable survive in dangerously hot temperatures.

“Summer can be as hard on people as the winter season,” Peter Tilley, chief executive officer of the Ottawa Mission, said in an interview.

As Wednesday’s temperature headed for a peak of 33 C, with the humidity making temperatures feel like 44, Tilley urged community members to keep eyes open for those on the street who may be in distress.

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“Don’t assume they’re napping in the heat. Go up and say, ‘Are you ok?’ If you sense they’re in distress, call 911,” he said.

The Mission’s front-line workers typically patrol the area around the Daly Street shelter for people in distress, he said, but during extreme weather events workers expand their patrol footprint, heading out every 30 minutes with water bottles around King Edward, Rideau and other streets in Lowertown.

Workers check alleyways, parking lots and porches for people who might be suffering from heat exposure, exhaustion or other medical complications.

“We’re making sure, as much as we can, people are staying hydrated,” Tilley said. “If they’re outside, we remind them our facility is welcome to all and we have air conditioning. So people are encouraged to come inside before they feel any harms of exposure.”

The Ottawa Mission and other shelters in the city have been at or above capacity for months now, struggling with a prolonged housing and homelessness crisis, but Tilley says the Mission finds places for people who need to come inside.

“Even though we’re overcrowded, at full capacity and beyond in terms of beds and mattresses we put down on the floor, we always have the lobby, the waiting area and the dining hall that is cool, so people can rest up and come inside,” he said.

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Tilley added the heat particularly posed a risk to people who were using drugs or consuming alcohol.

“We wouldn’t want anyone to pass out in a dehydrated state, as everyone is aware, that would have medical complications,” he said.

During a meeting of the Ottawa Board of Health earlier in the week, Medical Officer of Health Dr. Vera Etches called the heat dome “a life-threatening event.”

Ottawa Public Health has entered into an “enhanced response” which includes ensuring there are more places to cool down, shelters stay open during the day to help people stay cool and public facilities stay open longer, she said.

Ottawa Public Health lists the 20 best options for people to cool down, including pools, beaches, splash pads and community centres, based on location within the city.

The City of Ottawa also extend its hours for outdoor pools at six locations, in the midst of the heat wave, through Thursday.

“In addition, all pools (indoor and outdoor) have converted lane swims to open swims to accommodate more participants during scheduled lane swims,” Dan Chenier, the city’s general manager of recreation, cultural and facility services, said in a news release.

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Similarly, workers at the Shepherds of Good Hope are also patrolling the blocks of Ottawa’s core, handing out water bottles and frozen treats.

Bernie Forestell, the Shepherds’ senior manager of communications, said the community kitchen was open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, giving people chances to recover from the heat indoors.

The Salvation Army’s Ottawa Booth Centre operates a mobile outreach van that responds to 311 calls 21 hours per day. The van service also works with Ottawa police, paramedic and fire services, transporting those in need to emergency shelters.

While Shepherds of Good Hope is typically closed for cleaning during the day, on hot days “we will make exceptions and bring people in if they’re exhibiting signs of distress,” Forestell said.

Ottawa paramedics have been responding to medical emergencies directly related to heat.

On Tuesday, paramedics attended to two elderly people who had heat stroke, both of whom were taken to hospital in stable condition, and another person with heat exhaustion, said Marc-Antoine Deschamps, public information officer for the paramedic service.

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“As the heat wave progresses, we’ll get more calls,” he said.

Peter Berry, a senior policy analyst and science adviser at Health Canada, told reporters Wednesday that the extreme heat event could pose serious health risks to the elderly, young children and people with chronic illnesses like diabetes.

“People experiencing homelessness and people who work or exercise outdoors, are at a greater risk,” Berry said.

Signs of heat illness include dizziness, fainting and heavy breathing, among others.

“Heat stroke is a medical emergency,” he said. “If you witness someone with complete or partial loss of consciousness, someone confused, high body temp or has stopped sweating, call 911 or your local emergency number immediately.”

While waiting for help to arrive, “take measures to cool the person right away,” Berry said, by moving them out of the sun to a cooler location, applying cold water to large areas of skin or clothing and fanning them to cool off.

Jennifer Smith, a national warning preparedness meteorologist for Environment and Climate Change Canada, said a ridge of high pressure over eastern North America was responsible for the heat wave, with hot and humid conditions affecting Ontario, southern Quebec and parts of Atlantic Canada until Friday.

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Temperatures in the Ottawa region are nearing record highs, she said.

A heat wave of this magnitude has rarely been observed so early in June, she added, and temperatures aren’t cooling much in the evening, providing little respite overnight.

Berry said the early heat wave could be more dangerous as people weren’t acclimatized to the heat, adding older adults could be more susceptible to heat illness and heat death.

“When it happens early, it can catch people by surprise,” he said. “You’re not back in the mode for preparing for heat events, staying hydrated, staying in cool places and shaded areas. When something happens like this, it’s so quick and intense, it could be a problem.”

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