WATCH ABOVE: Environment Canada issued a high heat and humidity precaution Sunday. Rachel Lau spoke to several Montrealers spending the day in the sun.
MONTREAL – It was a beautiful, sunny weekend. Marking – finally – for many, the arrival of summer.
In the midst of this heat wave, Environment Canada issued a warning to remind Montrealers to stay safe.
Debbie Neufert, Global’s Toronto meteorologist said that Montreal is in the midst of its first heat wave.
“In Montreal and in western Quebec, temperatures are expected to top 30 degrees,” she said.
Dr. Mitch Shulman says many complications can arise if people do strenuous activity or forget to keep hydrated, especially if they have pre-existing conditions.
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“As the heat and the humidity persist people are no longer able to cope,” he said.
“We end up seeing more people with diabetes out of control, more people with heart problems or heart failure, more people whose kidneys have impacted in because they couldn’t cope with the humidity.”
Shulman also points out that parents should never leave their children in their cars, even for a few minutes.
He says around 50 per cent of the children left in cars were simply forgotten.
“It’s easy, even if you’re a really good parent or caregiver, to forget,” he said.
“That’s why something simple like leaving your purse in the backseat forces you to open the back door, to reach to the back, to look to make sure you don’t forget your kid or your pet.”
And on a scorching day, it doesn’t take long to overheat, but it’s not just children we have to keep our eye on.
The SPCA says during the summer, they receives many phone calls about distressed pets who have been left in cars.
“It’s just something we keep repeating,” said Alanna Devine, Director of Animal Advocacy at the SPCA.
“On a day like today do not leave your animals in your car, not even for 30 seconds, not even for 10 seconds. It’s a death trap for them. We just want to get the message out there.”
With these high temperatures, experts are warning that humidity even without sun can still be dangerous.
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