Uncategorized
Extreme heat can turn dangerous fast. Who is most vulnerable?
Doctors and health-care experts are warning Canadians to not only look after themselves but also check on others who could be vulnerable as large parts of central Canada face a sweltering heat wave.
Global News chief meteorologist Anthony Farnell says a large heat ridge or dome will build over the Ohio Valley in the U.S. and expand into southeastern Canada by the end of the weekend.
Temperatures are expected to reach the low to mid-30s C and the humidex could make that feel much higher, with humidex readings potentially into the mid-40s.
When heat hits those levels, the body has to work harder to keep itself cool.
“The hypothalamus acts as the thermostat and sends signals to the heart to start beating faster, sends signals to our body to breathe a little faster and that helps the blood flow to the extremities so that we can dissipate heat through radiant heat loss,” said Dr. Samantha Green, a family physician at Unity Health Toronto with expertise in climate change and health.
“It also sends signals so that we can cool down through evaporative cooling through sweating.”
What does extreme heat do to your body?
Prolonged exposure to heat can impact the human body in a variety of ways.
One of the most common is heat exhaustion, which can lead to heat stroke.
Heat exhaustion is characterized by headache, dizziness, extreme thirst, heavy sweating, muscle cramps and nausea and vomiting, according to Health Canada, and people are advised to immediately move to a cool place and drink water if experiencing these symptoms.
If left untreated, that exhaustion can become heat stroke, which is defined by Johns Hopkins Medicine as the body being overwhelmed by excessive heat.
Those suffering from heat stroke often have an internal temperature of 40 C or higher, warm, dry skin, confusion and nausea, and it can lead to worse conditions, including seizures, coma and even death.
While people will keep an eye on the temperature, studies show that people should also be aware of the “wet bulb” temperature — when both humidity and air temperatures are high, it can be harder to shed heat and keep yourself cool.
A 2010 study found that a wet-bulb temperature of 35 C that lasts longer than six hours could cause serious health impacts or even death.
Get weekly health news
Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday.
A study in the Journal of Applied Physiology in 2022 found that at 100 per cent humidity, the threshold could be as low as 31 C, while at 38 C, just 60 per cent humidity could be too much for the body.
If you are suffering from heat stroke or you notice someone with similar symptoms, move to a cool place to rest and call 911, as it is a life-threatening medical emergency.
“If you don’t feel well from the heat, seek medical attention or call 911. Don’t be afraid to ask for help,” said Caroline Metz, managing director of climate resilience and health at the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation at the University of Waterloo.
Vulnerable populations, such as youth and older adults or those with chronic conditions, may find it more difficult to beat the heat.
Nemours Children’s Health in the U.S. notes that children’s bodies are still developing and may sweat at a lower rate than adults and start sweating at a higher temperature, putting them more at risk of heat-related illness.
Older adults face higher risks as they may have trouble accessing cool spaces due to mobility or transportation challenges, and those living alone may be more vulnerable as a result, according to B.C. Interior Health.
Older adults, as well as other Canadians, may also have chronic underlying health conditions or be taking medication that could interfere with the body’s ability to stay cool.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that those with these conditions may be less likely to respond to changes in temperature, and that those with heart disease, mental illness and obesity have a higher risk of heat-related illness.
“It’s also why people with chronic health conditions are more at risk of developing heat exhaustion, heat stroke, where the body’s natural cooling mechanisms break down and the core body temperature exceeds 40 degrees,” Green said.
“That’s where we end up with massive inflammation and failure of organs in the body.”
People taking chronic medications can also be affected. Green said beta blockers, for example, prevent the heart from beating faster in response to heat and keep the body from naturally being able to cool down.
It’s not just health conditions or age that can pose vulnerabilities, however.
“Anybody who’s working outside or people experiencing homelessness, they’re more exposed to heat and that’s a group or a population that’s more at risk,” Metz said.
How to protect yourself and others
Metz notes that during heat waves, it’s important for people to watch out for others and check in on neighbours because those living alone or socially isolated can also be vulnerable to heat.
A B.C. coroner’s report following the 2023 heat dome noted that 98 per cent of the 619 deaths identified as being related to heat occurred indoors, with 56 per cent of those who died living alone.
“Social cohesion or social connectedness has been shown to be a very important factor for resilience and for health during heat waves,” Metz said.
“In fact, in some cultures where there are multi-generational families living together, it’s just very natural for people to care about others … so they don’t often experience the same kind of situation that we might have here in North America, where we have one generation living in a household.
“The ability to reach out, call someone, or stop by has been shown to greatly support health and well-being for people who are isolated.”
She added that older adults and those living alone should reach out to other people to let them know they’re on their own and are open to having someone check on them during periods of extreme weather.
As a heat wave enters Ontario later this weekend, Metz said people should stay in the coolest part of their home if possible or go to a community cooling centre, wear lighter-coloured clothing if you have to go out, keep your doors and windows closed during the hottest parts of the day, and turn off items that may produce extra heat in your home.
“If you need to be out, you want to do that during the parts of the day that are the coolest,” she suggested, noting this means early mornings and late evenings.
TORONTO – Every five games the Toronto Blue Jays’ bullpen has had to step up.
Sometimes it works, and sometimes, like Toronto’s 7-1 loss to the lowly Chicago White Sox on Friday, it does not. Spencer Turnbull, who served as the so-called opener in the bullpen day, said it’s been a team-first mentality for his fellow relievers.
“It’s a stay ready, next man up kind of thing,” said Turnbull (1-1) after giving up four runs on five hits and two walks over two innings. “Everybody’s pulling their own weight. We all want to win. We want to do whatever we can to contribute.
“Just being able to stay flexible and be able to do whatever is needed. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do my job tonight, and I’ll flush that one but hopefully, I’m sure moving forward, it’ll be better.”
It was a double bullpen game, with both teams trotting out a handful of relief pitchers with no starters available.
Mason Fluharty followed Turnbull to the mound for the Blue Jays (40-35). He gave up three runs on two hits and two walks, before Braydon Fisher, Nick Sandlin, Chad Green, Brendon Little and Jeff Hoffman combined for six scoreless innings.
Related Videos
Toronto’s bullpen entered the game with a 3.61 earned-run average, 11th-best in Major League Baseball and seventh in the American League.
Get daily National news
Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
“I thought they did a good job from the fourth inning on,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider. “(Fisher) was great, giving us two innings there and I think everyone did their part in a game like that.
“But you want to try to avoid that, for sure. It’s a fine line between planning for the next day and trying to keep the game that you’re competing in at bay.”
Grant Taylor pitched one scoreless inning for the White Sox (23-53) before giving way to long reliever Tyler Alexander (4-7), who worked four without giving up a run. Dan Altavilla, Wikelman Gonzalez and Tyler Gilbert also came out of the visitors bullpen at Rogers Centre, with Gonzalez allowing a run.
The Blue Jays have had to rely on relievers with veteran pitcher Max Scherzer (thumb) on the injured list since his first start of the season. Eric Lauer (3-1) began to get starts instead of Schneider doing bullpen days, but then Bowden Francis (shoulder) was put on the IL on June 15.
Relievers have started 13 games for Toronto so far this season.
Scherzer had a bullpen session scheduled for Saturday after two promising rehab starts with triple-A Buffalo. It appears that the surefire Hall of Famer will likely start against the Cleveland Guardians at some point next week.
Turnbull said he’s not sure what his role will be when Scherzer comes back.
“We haven’t really had a ton of discussions about that,” he said. “I’m just trying to stay flexible and just do whatever they ask. I just want to do whatever I can to help the team.
“If Scherzer’s ready to come back, that’s awesome. He’s one of the best ever to do it, so he’ll help the team a lot when he gets up here.”
Francis (2-8) had a cortisone injection on Tuesday and will continue to rest.
Jose Berrios (2-3) gets the start on Saturday afternoon as Toronto continues its three-game series against the White Sox. Chicago will counter with Aaron Civale (1-3).
Schneider said that Fisher and Sandlin likely won’t be available in Saturday’s game, but the rest of Toronto’s bullpen should be good to go.
“I think you can be aggressive in games like today when you have Jose and (Sunday starter Chris Bassitt) going before an off day,” said Schneider. “We’re going to rely on those guys to do their part.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 20, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
TORONTO – Luis Robert Jr.’s two-run homer was the highlight of a four-run inning as the White Sox routed the Toronto Blue Jays 7-1 on Friday as Chicago snapped an eight-game losing skid.
Josh Rohas had a two-run double as part of the four-run third for Chicago (24-52). Andrew Benintendi had a solo home run in the first and added an RBI single in the second. Austin Slater’s base hit also drove in a run in the second.
It was a double bullpen game, with both teams trotting out a handful of relief pitchers with no starters available.
Grant Taylor pitched one scoreless inning for the White Sox before giving way to long reliever Tyler Alexander (4-7), who worked four without giving up a run. Dan Altavilla, Wikelman Gonzalez and Tyler Gilbert also came out of the bullpen, with Gonzalez allowing a run.
Related Videos
Spencer Turnbull (1-1) gave up four runs on five hits and two walks over two innings of work. Mason Fluharty gave up three runs on two hits and two walks, before Braydon Fisher, Nick Sandlin, Chad Green, Brendon Little and Jeff Hoffman combined for six scoreless innings.
Get breaking National news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.
Shortstop Bo Bichette’s three hits led Toronto (40-35) offensively. His third of the night — a single to left field — scored Tyler Heineman in the eighth inning for the Blue Jays’ only run.
TAKEAWAYS
White Sox: Scoring has been an issue for Chicago all season, with its 260 runs scored heading into Friday’s game the third lowest in all of Major League Baseball. Despite having to rely on several call-ups in the game, the White Sox’s offence came alive at Rogers Centre with nine hits.
Blue Jays: Bichette’s single led off the fourth inning for Toronto’s first hit of the game. He also had a double in the sixth as his three-hit outing accounted for half of the Blue Jays’ hits and pulled his batting average up from .272 to .278.
KEY MOMENT
Fluharty had two outs in the third inning and got two strikes against Austin Slater for an 0-2 count. But then the Blue Jays reliever threw four consecutive balls to walk the Chicago right-fielder. Rojas doubled in the next at bat to tack on two more runs.
KEY STAT
Toronto’s record in blowout games — when the victorious team wins by five or more runs — dropped to 7-13 with Friday’s loss. The Blue Jays are much better when it’s close, going 12-9 in one-run games.
UP NEXT
Jose Berrios (2-3) gets the start on Saturday afternoon as Toronto continues its three-game series against the White Sox.
Chicago counters with Aaron Civale (1-3).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 20, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown said Friday he’s “cautiously optimistic” about the chances of naming India’s Lawrence Bishnoi gang as a terrorist group after meeting with Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree.
Brown said he and representatives of Peel police met with the federal minister Wednesday after he asked police whether adding the Bishnoi gang to Ottawa’s list of terrorist organizations would help with enforcement.
British Columbia Premier David Eby sent a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney earlier this week asking him to designate the Bishnoi gang as a terrorist organization — something the government did with seven other transnational criminal organizations earlier this year.
Brown said Peel police told him a terrorist designation “would be helpful” and that the gang is involved in “serious criminal activity.”
“We’re talking about extortions and murders in our region. I think (Anandasangaree) took it seriously. I’m cautiously optimistic that he’s going to make this designation,” Brown said.
Asked about Eby’s request Wednesday, Anandasangaree said national security officials “continuously” review whether criminal organizations meet the legal threshold to be named as terrorist groups.
Get daily National news
Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
David Taylor, Anandasangaree’s spokesman, said the minister has “noted the concerns” of Brown and Eby.
“The Minister will seriously consider any recommendation (security and intelligence services) provide him concerning listing a particular group,” Taylor said in an emailed reply.
RCMP have alleged that Indian diplomats shared information about Sikh separatists in Canada with the Indian government and that top Indian officials then passed the information to the Bishnoi gang.
Brown said the gang has become more brazen in Brampton and local police have spotted vehicles with Bishnoi-affiliated decals in the Ontario city.
“They have over 700 shooters worldwide. They meet every threshold that is required to be designated as a terrorist organization,” Brown said. “And if we can give police this tool to allow them to better combat this threat in Canada, I think that, you know, is a no-brainer.”
The Criminal Code defines terrorist activity as a violent act that is, in whole or in part, committed for political, ideological or religious purposes and is meant to intimidate a segment of the public.
Lawrence Bishnoi has been in an Indian prison since 2015 and has more than two dozen criminal cases pending against him. He has been accused of orchestrating violent acts of extortion while incarcerated, using a cellphone.
The National Investigation Agency, India’s counterterrorism agency, said in 2023 that Bishnoi ran his “terror group from jails in different states” in India and through an associate in Canada.
Once a group is listed as a terrorist entity in Canada, any property owned by the group can be frozen by the government and law enforcement can deploy additional tools to probe crimes associated with financing, travel and recruitment.
“If there was someone who came by with a decal on their car or on their jacket that was of Lawrence Bishnoi, and we have seen that, it would give the police tools to embark on an immediate investigation,” Brown said.
“So sometimes the judicial process, because you’re seeking warrants or authorization, doesn’t move as fast as required to deal with the agility of these criminal networks.”
Canada currently lists 86 groups as terrorist entities.
The most recent additions came in February when seven Mexican, Central and South American-based drug cartels were listed as terrorist organizations, including the Sinaloa Cartel.
This designation came in the early days of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff war on Canada and Mexico, which he justified in part by claiming neither country was doing enough to address illegal border crossings and fentanyl trafficking.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
-
Uncategorized1 week agoThese ’90s fashion trends are making a comeback in 2017
-
Uncategorized1 week ago
According to Dior Couture, this taboo fashion accessory is back
-
Uncategorized1 week ago
The final 6 ‘Game of Thrones’ episodes might feel like a full season
-
Uncategorized1 week ago
The old and New Edition cast comes together to perform
-
Uncategorized1 week ago
Uber and Lyft are finally available in all of New York State
-
Uncategorized1 week ago
Phillies’ Aaron Altherr makes mind-boggling barehanded play
-
Uncategorized1 week ago
Steph Curry finally got the contract he deserves from the Warriors
-
Uncategorized1 week ago
Disney’s live-action Aladdin finally finds its stars