Intense heat renews calls for permanent cooling, warming infrastructure

As much of Manitoba bakes in intense heat, people outside in Winnipeg on Sunday with nowhere to go were struggling to stay cool. 

"It's terrible," said Richie Knott, 33, outside Portage Place mall as the temperature reached beyond 30 C with high humidity. 

"I'm sweating really hard and it's terrible … nobody's handing out water today," said Knott. 

Experiences like these are the reason more needs to be done to build up infrastructure to provide relief in extreme temperatures, said the CEO of Siloam Mission. 

"What I think we really need to do is start being proactive," Tessa Blaikie Whitecloud said in an interview at the central-area shelter. "We need more accessible water fountains, we need more accessible washrooms," she said. 

Cooling and warming stations should also be on the agenda, said Blaikie Whitecloud. 

When the temperature rises or falls to extreme levels there's a tendency for people to respond as if it's an unforeseen emergency, she said.  

"But this emergency happens every summer just like winter happens every winter – so how do we start building that infrastructure so that we're always supporting people experiencing homelessness," Blaikie Whitecloud said. 

If we did, they'd live less stressful lives, thrive more and their struggles would diminish, she said. 

In May, the city touted the opening of a public washroom next to Circle of Life Thunderbird House at 715 Main St. 

It's a start, Blaikie Whitecloud suggested, but more needs to be done. 

To try and compensate in the heat wave, Siloam Mission has been opening its doors right at 7 a.m. so people can come right away to cool off, she said. 

Environment Canada is forecasting a slight reprieve from intense heat early this week. But the mercury is set to climb back into the 30 C range next weekend.