The worst of the heat wave in Alberta seems to be behind us, and for many, it was gruelling.
From people to pets, it was not easy staying cool this week — but the scorching temperatures kept some Edmonton businesses busy.
There’s air conditioning at Sublime Cat N’ Canine in south Edmonton but it rented some extra equipment this week.
“Once we announced to our clients that we had it, we just really had a rush of people wanting their pups to stay out of the heat instead of at home,” owner Ashley Young said Friday.
“We’ve been not as busy because of COVID, so we had a lot of our old regulars back in, which was nice to see.”
Young said they saw about 50 extra dogs in daycare, and there are about 85 in total right now.
“It’s more than we’ve ever seen probably in the last two years,” Young said.
“We actually had to hire a couple of people really quickly and train them all week. It’s been interesting.”
According to Environment Canada, dozens of record highs were set in Alberta this week as the historic heat wave settled over the province.
For many without air conditioning or a cool basement, sleeping was likely uncomfortable.
That’s why the Westin Hotel in downtown Edmonton offered a discounted rate for local families to stay there during the heat wave.
“We got lots of calls. The phones didn’t stop ringing,” said Westin general manager Joumana Ghandour.
She estimated about 80 families took advantage of the deal over the last few days.
“They just wanted to get out of the heat — even the pool was busy the whole time,” Ghandour explained.
“More than the benefit of business or the financial benefit… it’s been a morale booster. The last two days have been the busiest in the last 16 months.”
Edmonton is still under a heat warning, but temperatures are expected to cool off in the coming days.