Canada’s homeless population among the hardest hit by extreme heat
Global News
Experts say more needs to be done to support vulnerable groups, including homeless populations, who can be especially affected by extreme heat.
William Gaikezheyongai has lived outside long enough to know where to get water in times of extreme heat.
He knows construction workers usually have water bottles in their vans, so he’ll ask for one and douse himself with it. On recent hot summer days, he’s had to repeat the process every hour or so to stay cool.
“It’s hard to find free water and free shelter where someone doesn’t say, ‘move away,”’ says Gaikezheyongai, an Ojibwa man who lives in a teepee near a ravine in Toronto.
“I fainted a couple times and I had seizures.”
As several provinces swelter under heat warnings that Environment Canada says could bring temperatures of 30 C or more over the coming days, experts say more needs to be done to support vulnerable groups, including homeless populations, who can be especially affected by extreme heat.
For Gaikezheyongai, the recent weather has meant his teepee gets very hot and his living conditions get extremely uncomfortable.
“It’s been really, really difficult,” he says.
Blair Feltmate, head of the Intact Centre of Climate Adaptation at the University of Waterloo, says people experiencing homelessness are among the groups most at risk due to extreme heat.
