The hottest day of the year in the capital slowed runners and cyclists along the Rideau Canada. Temperatures in Ottawa climbed to 32 degrees Celsius; it felt more like 43 degrees with the humidex.
“It’s not a good day to be running,” said one runner. “We do this almost every weekend and today we just decided to take it easy.”
Others, meanwhile, toughed it out; unfazed by the heat and humidity.
“No, the heat doesn’t bother me,” said Norman Traversy, “I like it cold and damp but it is what it is.”
Very few outdoors had water bottles handy. Originally from Leeds, England, Markus Marshall welcomed the heat. Marshall lived in Barcelona, Spain before moving to Ottawa.
“That's the interesting part of Canada, you have -40 sometimes in the winter and then up to 35 in the summer,” said Marshall.
The city remained under a heat dome. Much of North America has experienced prolonged periods of severe heat.
“Under this heat dome, I think the best analogy is it’s like a lid over the frying pan. This lid, it keeps the air concentrated on the surface, boiling up and getting hotter and hotter and more humid,” said Phillips. “Certainly this is a dangerous one from a health point of view; we're at the margin of it here in Ontario. But certainly down in places like Washington, Philadelphia, New York, it's pretty lethal."
Ottawa Public Health attributed at least 5 visits to heat-related illnesses in the past 24 hours.
Undeterred by the heat, Ottawa Police Hoopstars hosted community fun day. Wheelchair basketball, a bouncy castle and dunk tank provided entertainment for nearly 100 children and their families.
“On a day like today it was absolutely refreshing,” said event sponsor John Lundringan of Nelligan, O”Brien, Payne LLP as he emerged from the dunk tank.
Proceeds from the event will support Shepherds of Good Hope.
