As a heat wave rippled across much of Manitoba on Thursday, some Winnipeg residents were out enjoying the hot weather after a cool spring, while others worried the abrupt temperature shift could put some of the city’s most vulnerable residents at risk.
Winnipeg was under a yellow-level heat warning on Thursday, as Environment and Climate Change Canada said the city is expected to see daytime highs in the low to mid-30s into early next week. Overnight lows are forecast to be in the high teens.
Dennis and Duane King were out in the sun spending some quality father-son time while grabbing a cold treat at Sargent Sundae on Portage Avenue.
“It’s about time we got some good weather,” said Dennis, soaking up the heat after a long, cold winter and chilly spring.
“It’s not around for long, so you’ve got to enjoy it when it’s here,” he said.
Duane said he was happy to finally have some good weather, planning to make the most of his day off before spending his weekend working.
“I love the weather,” he said. “It’s beautiful out here.”
While some Winnipeggers were keeping cool with ice cream near Assiniboine Park, Katie Enns and Susan Krause drank iced coffees and shopped at The Forks.
“We are enjoying just the ambiance of being at The Forks, being in the fresh air, down by the water,” Krause said.
Enns said the pair was out “enjoying each other’s company and being around other people who are also enjoying the weather.”
Susan Krause, left, and Katie Enns had cold drinks and basked in the warm weather at The Forks on Thursday. (Kevin Nepitabo/CBC)
Like with the extreme cold, Krause — who is a doctor — said extreme heat can put some of the city’s most vulnerable people at risk. She said hot weather can be dangerous for people who don’t have access to water, air-conditioning, sunscreen or appropriate summer clothing.
“Luckily, we are able to do that, but not everybody is. I do have concern for those that cannot be protected in those ways, the vulnerable in our city. I think we have to remember that there’s a lot out there that don’t have that ability, and we need to take care of them,” Krause said.
Enns agreed.
“We’re definitely privileged to be able to say that we get to have fun and do something relaxing outside in the weather, and it’s not the case for so many people in Winnipeg,” she said.
Margot Ross, director of development at Siloam Mission, says the extreme heat can be “a life or death situation” for people who rely on the shelter.
Margot Ross, director of development at Siloam Mission, says the mission needs bottled water and summer clothing. (Kevin Nepitabo/CBC)
Siloam has already handed out hundreds of water bottles to keep people hydrated, Ross said. She expects they will distribute hundreds more before the heat wave ends.
Anyone who is able to donate water bottles and other supplies is encouraged to drop them off at the mission, Ross said.
“We could really use water. We could also use summer clothes and sandals, in particular. For people who walk most of the day and overnight, having good footwear that’s also weather-appropriate is really helpful,” she said.
Ross is worried vulnerable people will have fewer places to cool down come July, when Siloam will be reducing its drop-in hours due to funding constraints.
“There’s not enough places for people to go in this weather, both in the cold in the winter and now the heat in the summer,” she said. “We’re really concerned about where folks are going to go.”
The City of Winnipeg has installed nine drinking water stations. (Kevin Nepitabo/CBC)
The City of Winnipeg sent out a heat warning to residents Wednesday, offering advice about how to avoid heat exhaustion and heat stroke, including staying hydrated and visiting designated cooling spaces across the city.
The city has installed nine hydration stations, primarily in the downtown area. Residents can press a button and fill up containers with clean drinking water at any time of day, said Mike Olczyk, the city’s emergency management co-ordinator.
“It’s really important to stay hydrated, so don’t wait until you’re feeling thirsty to start drinking water,” he said, encouraging people to watch for heat-related symptoms such as nausea and dizziness.
Six community centres are available as cooling spaces, Olczyk said, and residents can also use civic facilities such as libraries and recreation centres to cool off.
Designated cooling spaces will have bottled water, an air-conditioned space to sit down and information about extreme heat available, he said.
Hydration station and cooling space locations are available on the city’s website.