September sizzle closes some Quebec schools, while others sweat it out

William Fiori, a Grade 6 student atEdinburgh Elementary in Montreal West, stuck to the schoolyard's shady spotsduring recess on Tuesday.

"It's really hot," he said. "I am sweating a lot. I need to wipe it off. And it might get on my work sometimes. It's distracting and annoying."

His friend Ben McGrailsaid there are some fans and even a portable air conditioner in his classroom, but sometimes he has to fan himself with his schoolbook to keep cool.

"When it's really, really hot outside, I'm thinking about after school: What am I going todo? How am I gonna cool down?"

Fiori and McGrail are among those dealing withthehot weather that is blanketingmost of Quebec this week. That heat has leadto a swath of school closures across the province.

Quebec's Education Ministersays he's putting his trust in school staff to manage the situation in classrooms and ensure the well-being of children.

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Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)issued a heat warning Monday for much of the province, with hot and humid weather forecast to last until Friday.

Tuesday and Wednesday will be particularly hotwith temperatures possibly exceeding 30 C and humidex values ranging from 37 to 42.

Bernard Drainville says while the weather conditions are "exceptional," he has confidence in the province's school personnel.

"I have absolutely no doubt that the school team will handle [the situation]well," he told reportersTuesday.

One school service centre in the Outaouaisregion decided to close Tuesday morning because of the high temperatures.

In a notice sent to parents and posted on Facebook Monday, theCentre de services scolaire au Cur-des-Valles(CSSCV) said itclosedall of its primary and secondary schools(23 establishments)as well as daycare servicesdue to the weather forecast.

Vocational and adult training centres remained open.

ABoucherville high school on Montreal's South Shorealso closed its doors Tuesday.De Mortagne high school said a combination of theintense heat, a boil-water advisory still in effect and ongoing construction workled to the decision.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Centre de services scolaire des Rives-du-Saguenay,a school service centre in Saguenay,announced it was cancellingclasses Wednesday in all elementary and secondary schools, as well as adult training centres,due tothe"oppressive heat."

Daycare services will remain open.

WATCH | Go inside a heat chamber to see what happens when the body overheats:

How extreme heat affects your body

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Duration 1:28

CBCs senior health and medical reporter Lauren Pelley ran for 20 minutes in a heat chamber set at 40 C while researchers measured the strain that the heat put on her heart, weight and core and skin temperatures. This is what the results showed.

No cooling systems in older schools

Drainville urged parents to provide their children with bottled water and said teachers might have to stop class to allow kids to rehydrate.

"If other adjustments are needed, I think that teachers and school staffwill be able to adjust," Drainville said.

On the subject of air conditioning,Drainville said new schools will have mechanical ventilation systems, which he said will allow the buildings to maintain a stable and comfortable temperature.

But as it stands, there's no solution for older establishments, where no such systems are in place.

"That's why we have to keep investing," Drainville said.

ECCC warns thatyoung children, pregnant women, older adults, people with chronic illnesses and people working or exercising outdoors have higher health risks in this weather.

It recommends people drink plenty of water and stay in a cool place.

English Montreal School Board spokesperson Mike Cohen said most school buildings do not have air conditioning because they areold, and retrofitting them with central air isn't feasible. Some schools, likeEdinburgh, may have air conditioning units, but that's usually due to fundraising or donations, and is not uniform across the school board.

"We are in a heat wave now, but before long we will be in a snowstormand we won't be talking about this anymore," he said.

WATCH| Normal September highs are 21 or 22 C, so what's up?

Quebec heat wave 'not typical for September': expert

12 months ago

Duration 3:22

Katrina Moser, department chair in geography and environment at Western University, says average high temperatures in September are around 21 and 22 C. She says there will be more extreme temperatures in the future until climate change is under control.