Montreal Unveils Plan to Respond to Heat Waves After 66 Deaths Last Year

People use misters to cool down during a heatwave in Montreal, on July 2, 2018. Montreal's mayor is unveiling the city's plan to respond to heatwaves after dozens of people died amid high temperatures last summer. Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press

MONTREAL—With a potential heat wave looming, Montreal says it’s prepared to lengthen pool hours and send firefighters door to door to mitigate conditions that contributed to the death of 66 people last year.

“With the floods of the spring, and the winter that was especially difficult, or last year’s heat wave, it is clear that we’re more and more vulnerable to extreme climate events, and we need to act,” Mayor Valerie Plante said Wednesday at a news conference.