Nova Scotia summers are getting hotter. Is Halifax prepared?

Amid a provincewide heat warning, a Halifax emergency room doctor is speaking out about the severity of heat-related illnesses.

Daytime temperatures are expected to reach a maximum of 28 C to 32 C in Nova Scotia on Thursday, but cooler temperatures are expected along the coast.

"Take action to protect yourself and others – extreme heat can affect everyone's health," the Environment Canada warning notes. "Determine if you or others around you are at greater risk of heat illness."

According to studies by the Canadian Climate Institute, Canada will see four times more days with temperatures exceeding 30 C by 2050.

Dr. Matthew Clarke, an emergency room doctor at the Halifax Infirmary, said seniors, children and immunocompromised individuals are particularly vulnerable to heat-related illnesses. He said socioeconomic factors can also put people at risk, like being homeless.

"When it comes to warmth, we don't always think of it as being a risk factor in the same way [as the cold], but it certainly is," said Clarke.

On Tuesday, the Halifax Regional Municipality posted advice on its Facebook page for residents trying to stay cool. It suggested staying indoors, remaining hydrated and turning on fans or air conditioning. For those without access to a cool space, the city recommended going to a public library.

Clarke said while it's important for individuals to drink water and stay inside, he thinks a larger, systemic approach is needed when considering the warming climate.

Two years ago, a city staff report laid out some of the preliminary steps needed to prepare for and respond to heat waves.

A 2021 heat dome in B.C. led to more than 600 deaths. Most of the B.C. deaths happened indoors in homes without cooling systems.

According to the Nova Scotia government, as of 2021, only 41 per cent of Halifax homes had air conditioning.

Staff report recommendations

The city's 2023 staff report recommended setting up cooling stations as a response to extreme heat events. These air-conditioned spaces could be placed in municipally owned buildings or shopping malls.

As well, the report said the municipality should take steps to create greater awareness of the cooling centres and check in with vulnerable residents during instances of extreme heat.

Some of the other recommendations were for the municipality to:

• Offer free transit to cool spaces.
• Provide mobile cooling centres to seniors' homes and other at-risk locations.
• Set up pop-up outdoor shading and cooling like tents, fans or misting stations.
• Create a webpage that points residents to a cool space near them, similar to Toronto's "Cool Spaces Near You" page.

Despite the recommendations, the city said in a statement that "many measures remain in preliminary or planning stages."

Studies show that emergency departments visits and death rates increase in Canada following a heat wave.

Emergency room visits

When compiling data on things like death rates and emergency room visits, Nova Scotia Public Health said it does not track weather conditions.

Last year, the department said there were 43 heat-related emergency visits in the province.

These visits include health issues like heat stroke, heat exhaustion and dehydration. Public Health said this figure only includes events where heat was the obvious cause. It does not include emergencies where heat may have been a factor.

Clarke said heat often exacerbates other health issues.

"People who feel more non-specific symptoms of feeling more weak, more tired, headache, nausea, things like that, heat is certainly a significant contributing factor, but it's a little bit more difficult to pin down that it must have been related," he said.

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