‘IN A HEAT CRISIS:’ Province should track deaths, ensure school AC, group says

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Extreme heat is endangering students, workers, renters and some of Ontario’s most vulnerable residents, a network of civil society groups said Monday as they urged the province to better prepare for sweltering temperatures. 

The Heat Collaborative issued calls to action Monday including a demand for the province to create an extreme heat awareness program. 

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Among the network’s other demands, it called on Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives to track heat-related deaths and hospital visits, and ensure schools are outfitted with air conditioning. 

“Cooling and clean air are not luxuries. They are basic conditions for safety and learning. We need a real plan now,” said parent advocate Farheen Mahmood, who volunteers with the climate action group For Our Kids. 

Speaking at Queen’s Park on Monday morning, she said two of her three kids attend schools in Toronto’s east end without air conditioning. 

The Toronto District School Board, the country’s largest, has said about one-third of its schools have central air conditioning. It has said it would not be financially possible to expand that, citing billions of dollars in repair backlog. 

“Climate change isn’t coming. It’s here. And every hot smoky day we delay, kids pay the price,” said Mahmood. 

In a statement, Ontario’s Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development highlighted the government’s heat stress tool kit intended to help workplaces create their own emergency response plan.

The statement also said the government was investing $30 billion over 10 years in school infrastructure. Schools are required to have heat protocols in place, it said.

“Our government will continue to take action to ensure the safety of workers, students, and families across the province — especially during periods of extreme heat,” the statement said.

Parts of Ontario have already endured six heat warnings this year, more than last year’s four. Climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, is already making those heat waves more likely, studies show. 

The number of days per year with temperatures exceeding 30 C in Toronto could more than triple by mid-century, from about 20 days to 66 days, according to a staff report prepared for city council.

Speaking at Queen’s Park, members of the network said the province should bring in specific heat stress protections for workers. 

“There needs to be better tracking of heat-related illnesses, injuries, and deaths among all workers. Without better data, it’s hard to know how big the problem is,” said Donald Cole, a physician at occupational health clinics and volunteer with the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. 

The Ministry of Labour proposed specific heat stress regulations two years ago, but they don’t appear to have taken effect. Critics have since questioned why more hasn’t been done to enforce a higher standard. 

Ontario’s labour minister has pointed out that workers are already able to refuse unsafe work. But advocates suggest that fails to account for workers in precarious positions, such as migrant farm workers, who fear repercussions for speaking out or reporting workplace injuries. 

The Canadian Press has reached out to the provincial government for comment. 

Tenant protections figured prominently into Monday’s calls to action. The network called on the province to pass maximum temperature regulations to ensure landlords keep temperatures below 26 C in rental units. 

Toronto is exploring a bylaw to that effect, with staff expected to report back on possible next steps next year. 

The proposals have sparked concerns about whether landlords would use air conditioning upgrades as a pretext for evictions or steep rent increases. Monday’s call to action says to ensure tenants are protected, the province should expand retrofit funding and tie it to anti-eviction conditions. 

“We don’t have time to wait anymore. We are in a heat crisis,” said Marcia Stone with the tenant rights group ACORN.