Extreme heat led to 42 emergency room visits in Toronto, public health agency says

Muriel Draaisma · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 25, 2025 9:41 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

The vigor lawsuit that gripped the metropolis from Sunday to Tuesday is being blamed for 42 trips to exigency rooms astatine local hospitals, Toronto Public Health says.

In a connection connected Wednesday, the nationalist wellness bureau said the fig of heat-related ER visits was not surprising.

TPH said the number is "consistent with the known wellness risks associated with prolonged vulnerability to precocious temperatures, peculiarly for susceptible populations specified arsenic infants, older adults, individuals with pre-existing wellness conditions, those experiencing homelessness, and outdoor workers."

The nationalist wellness bureau is reminding residents to instrumentality steps to forestall heat-related illnesses.

"We proceed to punctual residents to instrumentality precautions during blistery weather, including staying hydrated, seeking retired air-conditioned spaces, checking successful connected others, and seeking exigency attraction erstwhile needed," TPH said.

Elevator rescues, aesculapian responses, conveyance extractions

Toronto Fire Services said it saw an summation in emergency calls of up to 44 per cent for work during the utmost heat.

"Everything from elevator rescues to exigency aesculapian responses to fires, to conveyance extrications and h2o rescues — it has been an highly engaged 3 days," Toronto Fire Chief Jim Jessop said Wednesday.

Jessop said a vigor lawsuit puts unit connected the city's exigency effect strategy but front-line responders are ever prepared to assistance those successful need.

"We program for whether it's positive 45 with the humidex oregon it's minus 45 successful January," Jessop said. 

"We've got precise experienced and seasoned individuals some successful our comm centre and surely connected our beforehand lines. But we perfectly person plans for each the extremes due to the fact that we cognize astatine the extremity of the day, we are the past enactment of defence for the citizens." 

Dr. Samantha Green, a household doc astatine Unity Health Toronto who specializes successful vigor and health, said the vigor exacerbates chronic conditions and tin trigger bosom attacks and worsen underlying asthma and diabetes.

"When we're exposed to this utmost heat, particularly for respective days successful a row, particularly erstwhile the somesthesia doesn't driblet astatine night, determination is the hazard of heat-related illness, truthful vigor exhaustion and vigor stroke, particularly among those with chronic aesculapian conditions and the elderly."

Green said all levels of authorities request to guarantee radical enactment harmless during vigor events.

"We truly request to beryllium amended prepared astatine the idiosyncratic level, but truly astatine each levels of government, due to the fact that it shouldn't beryllium a astonishment that successful the summertime it's blistery and it's getting hotter."