Toronto Hit Record Breaking Temperatures This Summer. What Does That Mean For The City’s More Vulnerable Residents?
As Toronto faces extremely hot summers, experts say that measures can be taken to reduce the impacts on the city.
By Randa Ali
Summer in Toronto is an exciting time as communities enjoy the festivals, patios, and outdoor entertainment the city has to offer. However, this year's extreme heat and weather have posed significant dangers to public and environmental health, leading to the cancellation of summer events, increased hospitalizations, and even the risk of death for certain individuals.
As Toronto hit record-breaking temperatures this summer, environmental organizations say the extreme heat is hitting the city’s most vulnerable the hardest and will continue to get worse without serious policy changes.
The Impacts of Extreme Heat
This past July, Toronto’s downtown core reached a record breaking 37.3°C, resulting in medical emergencies, power outages, and transit delays. In the Toronto area and Southern Ontario, extreme heat warnings are triggered when temperatures cross 31°C. These conditions have disrupted many parts of life in the city, such as the cancellation of planned FIFA events.
Environment Canada issued multiple heat warnings in July. These extreme heat events are known as heat waves. These happen when daily temperatures cross the extreme heat threshold on two or more days without dropping sufficiently overnight. The lack of any cooling off periods or relief from the stress of heat is what makes heat waves dangerous and even fatal.
“As climate change continues, occurrences and intensities of extreme heat events are expected to increase, with adverse impacts on human health, the environment and the economy,” Environment Canada notes.
Extreme heat events are a direct concern to public health, even in healthy populations. More severe outcomes, such as heat exhaustion and heat stroke, can result in hospitalizations and deaths. For example, the historic 2021 heat dome in B.C. was the deadliest weather event in Canadian history, resulting in over 600 deaths in one week – with 90% of the fatalities occurring in those over 60.
Toronto’s Most At Risk Individuals
Certain people are more vulnerable to the dangers of extreme heat. This includes young children, older adults (65+), pregnant individuals, and those with chronic illnesses.
Peter Kimbell, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, warns that the city is facing “heat that really can be significant for people everywhere, and it can be dangerous for people who are most vulnerable.”
Health Canada recommends an upper indoor temperature limit of 26°C to protect older adults, and studies have found that temperatures higher than that threshold have led to cardiac strain.
Additionally outdoor workers and people experiencing homelessness are also susceptible to the health risks of extreme heat exposure. In July, ground workers at Pearson airport experienced afternoon temperatures of 36 °C, with a feels-like temperature of 45°C, putting them at risk of heat-related health consequences and dehydration.
Organizations such as Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA) are particularly concerned about the effects of heat on renters, who make up more than 50% of the city’s population. Denser neighbourhoods and older apartment towers, composed primarily of renters, are living without efficient cooling systems.
“For apartment buildings over three stories, [approximately] 84% of the units don't have indoor cooling,” explains How-Sen Chong, a campaigner for TEA, “Many of these units have been experiencing 30, 35 degree temperatures indoors already, even when it was 25, 28 degrees outside."
Maximum Indoor Heat Bylaw Proposal
The Toronto Heat Safety Coalition has been working together with groups like TEA to enact “a maximum heat bylaw that would set indoor temperatures in the summertime at no more than 26 degrees Celsius,” says Chong.
This can have a significant impact on the wellbeing of Toronto’s residents. This would require landlords to ensure their units are not exceeding this threshold in order to protect renters from the dangers of extreme heat in their homes.
Other municipalities in B.C. are already implementing similar bylaws to cap indoor temperatures, and in Toronto this policy already exists to protect people during colder months. According to Chong, this summer rule would “be similar [to a] bylaw the city already has for minimum indoor temperatures of 21 degrees Celsius during the winter.”
When it comes to protecting citizens from extreme heat, TEA warns that it is impossible to ignore the way climate change is driving these increasing temperatures.
"Climate change is a reality that people are [experiencing] right now,” warns Chong.
Chong is hopeful policies like the maximum heat bylaw and the awareness of climate change’s impacts on people’s lives can help “transform the city into one that’s more sustainable and more climate safe.”
Randa Ali is a Toronto journalist whose writing focuses on sustainability and culture, and the connections between climate change and social issues. Her work can be viewed on instagram: @byrandaali
