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Montreal unveils plan to respond to heatwaves after 66 deaths last year

Jul 3, 2019 | 10:18 AM

Montreal’s mayor is unveiling the city’s plan to respond to heatwaves after dozens of people died amid high temperatures last summer.

Valerie Plante says the city is ready to extend hours for pools, libraries, community centres and homeless shelters if temperatures climb to dangerous levels.

She said workers will go door to door to check on people, hand out water bottles to the homeless and encourage citizens to stay cool and hydrated.

Longer term, she says the city has increased its budget to plant more trees in order to reduce the heat island effect.

A meteorologist for Environment Canada says Montreal temperatures are expected to reach between 31 and 34 C in the next three days.

The city’s public health authority reported in May that 66 people, most of them seniors or chronically ill, died as a result of extreme heat on the island of Montreal between June 30 and July 8 last year.

The Canadian Press

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