Olivia Chow pushes for stronger heat contingency plan after record-breaking temperatures

CTV News

6 hours ago

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow says the city needs to be better prepared for dealing with extreme weather events.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow says the city needs to be better prepared for dealing with extreme weather events.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow says she is bringing a motion to city council to fix some of the 'gaps' that were exposed in the city's response to a three-day heat wave this week.
The motion comes just two days after Chow apologized for the controversial closure of some city pools amid sweltering heat that felt as hot as 45 with the humidex, at points.
A city spokesperson previously said that the decision to close some pools on an intermittent basis was done in order to ensure compliance with provincial requirements around staff health and safety.
Chow, however, later said that the pool closures 'cannot happen again' and that the city must ensure it has sufficient resources to keep pools open, regardless of the temperature.
With temperatures now subsided, Chow is pressing council to take the lessons from this week and rethink its approach to extreme heat — proposing longer pool hours, a review of the shift away from dedicated cooling centres, and expanded crisis response, including mobile water trucks and Red Cross volunteers.
The motion, seconded by Coun. Alejandra Bravo, also aims to review the 2019 shift from a resiliency officer, assess the feasibility of restoring 24‑hour cooling spaces, and add medical staff to support lifeguards.
'We know we could do better,' she told reporters Wednesday ahead of a council meeting.
'I am bringing forward a motion that city council to address some of the gaps that are identified over the weekend. We will have stronger extreme heat contingency, including a plan to make sure that pools… remain open if the humidex hits 45 degrees again. We have hired more lifeguards. We have a public health nurse that do checks to make sure lifeguards are doing okay in heat, all of those problem are fixed.'
Criticism and accountability
The Ministry of Labour confirmed to CTV News on Wednesday that it has not sent any inspectors to City of Toronto pools over the last week and that any decision to close pools was taken by the City of Toronto 'on their own'
Doug Ford, in an interview with Newstalk 1010 earlier this week, called the stated reason for the pool closures 'a poor excuse' but said he was 'not blaming Chow' for the decision.
Meanwhile, Coun. Jon Burnside was less charitable.
Coun. Jon Burnside
Coun. Jon Burnside speaking to reporters on Wednesday June 25, 2025 (CP24 photo).
'We knew a snowstorm was coming before these things didn't just all of a sudden pop up. We have lots of time to prepare, lots of time to have contingencies, yet nothing seems to have happened,' he said.
'The question that I'd like to ask her is, like, is this the first heat wave we've had? We've had multiple heat waves. We've got things right before other municipalities get things right. Why do we need to add a chief heat officer? Why do we need to add more bureaucracy? Let's just hold people accountable.'
Affordable housing, school food and transit
Toronto saw three consecutive days of record-breaking temperatures this week, including a daytime high of 36 C that was the highest temperature recorded in the city since 2016.
While the city grapples with intensifying summer temperatures, Chow framed the crisis as part of a larger challenge — making Toronto more livable and resilient in the face of climate change.
'Life in Toronto is too expensive,' she said. 'I grew up in St. James Town where my mom, working as a maid, didn't have to worry too much. A recent survey noted that the average Torontonian is spending as much as 63 per cent — that's like six out of $10 of their income — on housing, more than double the 30 per cent recommended by experts.'