- Drink water early and often:
- Drink water regularly, before you feel thirsty.
- Avoid sugary drinks (they increase fluid loss) and ice-cold drinks (they can cause stomach cramps).
- Keep your home below 26°C:
- Close curtains, blinds and shades during the hottest daylight hours.
- Open windows in the evening if cooler air arrives.
- Avoid using the oven or other heat-generating appliances.
- Electric fans alone may not prevent heat illness when indoor temperatures rise above 26°C.
- Visit a cool place:
- If your home becomes too hot, spend a few hours in an air-conditioned library, community centre, shopping mall, masjid or designated cooling centre.
- Cool down physically:
- Take a cool bath or shower, or sponge skin with cool water.
- Wear loose, lightweight, light-coloured clothing.
- Avoid direct sun during peak afternoon heat.
- Never leave people or pets in parked vehicles:
- Parked cars reach deadly temperatures within minutes, even with cracked windows.
- Check on people at higher risk:
- Check in regularly with infants and young children, pregnant women, older adults, and neighbours living alone without air conditioning.
- Treat heat exhaustion immediately:
- Signs: heavy sweating, weakness, dizziness, headache, nausea, vomiting or fainting.
- Action: move the person to a cool area, loosen clothing, lie them down, and give small sips of cool water.
- In Ontario, call Health811 for health advice.
- Call 9-1-1 for heat stroke:
- Signs: high body temperature, confusion, dizziness, fainting, or hot, flushed skin without sweating.
- Action: heat stroke is a life-threatening emergency; call 9-1-1 immediately and cool the person down with wet towels or cold water while waiting.
Sources (1)
All steps follow Ontario’s extreme heat guidance.