Environment Canada's heat warnings treat us like we're all clueless
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By Amy Hamm
Published Jun 27, 2025
Last updated Jun 27, 2025
3 minute read
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There is a burning mass of hydrogen and helium, with core temperatures of up to 15 million C, blasting radiation across cities and towns in Canada.
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It’s the sun. And, if we pay enough attention to Environment Canada and many of our nation’s broadcasters, we might be inclined to believe that our life-giving star is actually trying to kill us all.
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Their warnings go something like this: If you’re elderly, at risk, live by yourself, have a wardrobe that is entirely comprised of Canada Goose parkas, are afraid of sunlight, or love living in a nanny state — then please, whip yourself into a frenzy and share your panic with those whom you love. The end times are nigh.
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Summer solstice has once again brought us closer to Armageddon — with Earth’s axis tilting Canadians towards extreme warm weather anxiety. Pull out the map of Canada, and bathe it in crimson paint. Turn the whole thing red — everywhere is a danger zone. Peril abounds.
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“Take action to protect yourself and others — extreme heat can affect everyone’s health. Determine if you or others around you are at greater risk of heat illness. Check on older adults, those living alone and other at-risk people in-person or on the phone multiple times a day,” reads a generic warning given on the Environment Canada website, including earlier this week for Ontario. “Heat stroke is a medical emergency!” (The explanation mark is theirs, not mine.)
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The government organization said that Ontario was facing “dangerous” heat and humidity this week, with expected temperatures between 33C and 36C. On a 34C day in Toronto, the city’s official X account issued an ominous alert: “Toronto is currently under a #HeatWarning. Residents are advised to stay indoors, if possible. Please, check on friends and family.”
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We get it: it’s hot. Grandma has been alive for 85 years; she does not need the government to tell her to drink water and stay in the shade. Elderly persons have proven — through their mere longevity — that they understand the basic principles of keeping oneself alive through the four seasons. In fact, my grandmother might worry that I’m coming down with a case of early-onset dementia if I try calling her “multiple times a day” because the temperature is in the low to mid 30s.
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Yes, certain populations are vulnerable to extreme or prolonged heat. In the summer of 2021, for instance, a B.C. heat wave is thought to have contributed to more than 600 excess deaths (deaths above what is regularly expected). However, there is a way for the government and public health officials to let us know that it will be above 30C without issuing warnings that make us look like a nation of hand-wringing church ladies who’ve found a stash of the devil’s lettuce under the children’s pew.
