Abroad

The difference between the heatwaves in Ireland and Quebec is that no one has died in Ireland

Record-breaking weather in Canadian province has led to 54 deaths so far, writes Patrick McKenna

Women and children playing in the water fountains at the Place des Arts in Montreal, Canada. Photograph: Eva Hambacheva/AFP/Getty Images

Patrick McKenna in Montreal
Mon Jul 9 2018 - 16:14

Last week was the first time in 147 years of weather records in Quebec that five consecutive days of +33C temperatures were registered. Across the province, 54 people died as a result of the heat. Most were male, over 65, without air conditioning at home.

The seven day heatwave broke on Friday, when temperatures came back to a more comfy 27C. With overnight temperatures in the high teens, getting to sleep and staying asleep is a lot easier. On Monday, they are on their way back up to 32C.

Personally, I wasn’t too put out by the heatwave. As I remind my neighbours, it’ll be winter soon enough. That +30C might well be -30C by mid-January. My glass-half-full brand of optimism doesn’t always go down well, but I try.

Although part of my survival tool kit is my “it’s all in the mind” attitude, beating the heat takes more than that. After 40 summers here in Quebec, I know one has to dress lightly, drink lots of water - not beer - eat salads and fruits and stay in the shade.

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I finally convinced my better half that we needed to close the windows and draw the curtains at about 10am to keep the heat out. At first she found this slightly crazy but now she can see - or more precisely, feel - the benefits of keeping the heat where it belongs: outdoors.

We've no ocean beaches in Montreal, but we do have one of the world's top 20 rivers and on hot days I go there to cool off and get my water fix. For a real ocean beach I'd have to drive 12 hours straight to New Brunswick, or cross the US-Canada border that I'm loath to do. To think back home in Belfast I'd hop on my bike and be on the shores of Belfast Lough in ten minutes! But then, with the summers we had growing up, I never had to do this.

The real challenge of the heatwave here is in everyday life. Buses and metro cars at rush hours are sardine class at any time; add the heat, and they are not nice at all, I can tell you. Construction workers endure Middle East conditions up on roofs in 50C, and migrant farm workers from Mexico and Central America who spend all day under the sun picking vegetables, are especially vulnerable. The homeless also suffer from the heat and dehydration.

Perhaps worst of all, and something that I wasn’t aware of, are conditions for the patients in hospitals and long-term care facilities. They have no air conditioning in their rooms. Some can’t even open windows; in the hospital across the street from where I live, the windows are screwed shut. While patients may have to struggle through 40C conditions, the staff in these facilities have air conditioning in their offices.

The Montreal city skyline is seen from Mont Royal in Montreal, Quebec. Photograph: Hyungwon Kang/Reuters

In long term care facilities, residents can rent air conditioning units for $250 per month. It may not seem a lot but many residents are on welfare.

Reading reports of the heatwave in Ireland, it appears the Irish authorities are similarly unprepared for such hot conditions in recent weeks. The big difference between Quebec and Ireland's heatwave experiences is that no one has died there, thankfully.

The summer heat here is obviously so very different from what  I  grew up with in Belfast. Back then, even at the beach in midsummer, there was a fair chance that I'd be wearing my sweater.

Ireland's climate is a mild one, with winter and summer temperatures that some years are not so different. Here the climate is very extreme -- we roast in the summer and freeze in the winter. It's just as well I've adapted to both, otherwise I would be dreaming of my next trip home.

For now, I'll just get on with enjoying my summer in Montreal, and finding ever more creative ways to beat the heat.