Extreme heat, flooding pose safety concerns for Canada Day celebrations

As communities across Canada prepare for Canada Day, extreme heat and flooding are proving logistically challenging for typical celebrations like fireworks.

On Monday, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) issued heat warnings for much of southwestern Ontario, as well as large portions of the east, stretching all the way up to Hearst and Cochrane in the north.

Temperatures in some parts of southwestern Ontario could reach as high as 37 C Tuesday, with humidex values in the low to mid 40s.

Extreme heat is expected to continue throughout the week, with temperatures expecting to dip back below the 30 C mark over the weekend or next Monday.

The City of Toronto says its Canada Day celebrations will go ahead, but the city has activated its heat relief strategy and is encouraging event-goers to take precautions.

City staff say four additional mobile water trailers will be available at Nathan Phillips Square, Mel Lastman Square, East York Civic Centre and Barbara Hall Park to ensure that residents stay hydrated. More than 500 cooling spaces are also available throughout the city.

But in areas north of the city, some fireworks celebrations have been cancelled due to the increased risk of sparking wildfires.

“Fireworks may seem harmless, but they can cause serious injuries, fires, and significant property damage when used improperly,” Ken McMullen, president of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC), said in a media release.

The association said that each year, more than 700 fire departments across Canada respond to at least one incident involving the misuse of fireworks. With extreme heat and dry conditions, CAFC says there is a greater risk of fires.

In cottage country, municipalities are tuning into the risk of dry conditions. The Township of Greater Madawaska, just south of Algonquin Provincial Park, has a Level 2 fire ban in effect, which suspends the use of burn permits.

This also means that the municipality’s fireworks displays will not go forward.

“The health and safety of our residents, visitors, volunteers, and staff is always our highest priority,” the Township wrote in a post on social media. “With the current weather conditions creating an increased risk of heat-related illness and wildfire, we feel this is the most responsible decision.”

The township said all other activities will be moved indoors.

The City of Sudbury says it will be monitoring weather conditions and activities may be delayed or stopped if unsafe weather occurs.

According to ECCC, a severe thunderstorm watch is in effect for Sudbury Tuesday with the potential for wind gusts up to 110 km/h, golf ball-sized hail, more than 50 mm of rain and the risk of tornadoes.

Inclement weather is expected to continue into Wednesday.

While other parts of the country are also expected to be hotter than normal, it is the consequences of heavy rain and flooding that have put a stop to some celebrations.

The Pierrefonds-Roxboro borough of Montreal has cancelled its Canada Day Parade after the area saw an estimated 150 to 170 mm of rain fall in about two hours on June 20.

The city says more than 300 homes were affected and officials told Global News on Monday that cleanup could take at least another two weeks.

The borough says that evening festivities, including fireworks, will still go forward.

The Prairie provinces have also been hit with storm surges over the past week, prompting some municipalities to cancel activities.

The Town of Neepawa in Manitoba, located approximately two hours west of Winnipeg, said in a post on social media Tuesday that it was postponing Canada Day celebrations as a result of a storm that ripped through the south and west portions of the province Monday night, leaving more than 14,000 customers without power.

According to ECCC, parts of the province saw more than 100 mm of rain Monday night, with wind gusts ranging from 80 km/h to 100 km/h.

The City of Winnipeg told Global News in a statement that it does not host any Canada Day activities and that decisions about cancellations would fall to activity organizers.

Excess flooding in Saskatchewan has also led to the cancellation of fireworks at multiple provincial parks.

Flood watches and warnings remain in place for many parts of Alberta as the province grapples with a storm system that passed over Sunday and Monday.

Accumulations of up to 150 mm were recorded in parts of Calgary, stressing local waterways.

Edmonton has been repeatedly hit with heavy rain throughout the month of June.

The Town of Tofield, Alta., located less than an hour outside of Edmonton, announced last week it would be cancelling Canada Day celebrations as it dealt with cleanup and prepared for the possibility of more rainfall.

At least two other towns, located between Edmonton and Calgary, have said they are considering moving their celebrations indoors.

A spokesperson for the City of Edmonton told Global News there is a special weather statement in effect forecasting heavy rainfall in the coming days but it is not expected to impact Canada Day programming.

“The only weather impacts that may affect the fireworks are strong winds (higher than 40 km/h), lightning, extreme heat or a fire ban,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

Boat launches along the North Saskatchewan River are closed and the city says viewing fireworks from the river or near riverbanks is not permitted.