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Midway opens cooling centre

This week’s heat saw record-breaking temperatures in the area
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Photo by James Day on Unsplash

A cooling centre recently opened to Midway residents looking to beat the heat.

The “very well air-conditioned” centre in the old medical clinic at 500 Haynes St runs every day, including statutory holidays, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., according to Midway Fire and Rescue Chief Michael Daloise. Anyone who needs to cool down can come in, take a seat and enjoy a bottle of water until they feel ready to go back outside, he explained.

The centre opened on Thursday, June 29, when the temperature hit a record-setting 45 C in nearby Rock Creek. A heat warning meanwhile remains in effect for the entire Boundary region, according to Environment Canada.

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The centre has capacity for around 15 people at a time, but Daloise said department and community volunteers have seen an average of two or three per day over the past week. “That’s a good sign,” he said. “It means that people are prepared on their own.”

Daloise cautioned that the cooling centre is not equipped to treat patients suffering from the debilitating and potentially fatal effects of heatstroke. Anyone caring for someone who has been severely affected by the heat is advised to phone 911 immediately.