A record breaking heat wave won’t stop Canada’s biggest birthday party.

The Department of Canadian Heritage says plans for “Canada Day in the Capital” on Parliament Hill, at Major’s Hill Park and the Canadian Museum of History are “moving forward as planned.’

Environment Canada is forecasting a high of 36C on Sunday. It will feel like 47 degrees with the humidex. The record for warmest July 1 in Ottawa history is 36.7C set in 1963.

In a statement, the department says it is monitoring the extreme heat wave conditions and is implementing mitigation measures to ensure the public’s safety.

The measures being put in place include:

  • Water stations on the three official sites will be significantly increased
  • Canadian Heritage working with Ottawa Fire and the Parliamentary Protective Service to explore the location of crowd misting capabilities on the lawns of Parliament Hill
  • Water misting heads will be mounted on towers and installed in the security queue-lines to mist the public as they exist the zone at the Supreme Court
  • Water misting locations at Major’s Hill Park and Canadian Museum of History to offer cooling options to the public.

Canadian Heritage spokesperson Natalie Huneault tells CTV Ottawa “public health and safety is always paramount” to the department, and the mitigation measures have been put in place to ensure public safety.

300,000 people are expected to attend Canada Day festivities at the three official sites.

The Canada Day Noon Show and the Canada Day Evening Show has never been cancelled because of the heat.