HIBAPRESS-RABAT-Statistics Canada
Canadian cities with the highest percentage of renters are at higher risk of dying from extreme heat, according to a Statistics Canada analysis. Montreal is one of the cities most affected by this phenomenon.
The risk of death from respiratory infections is much higher among residents of Montreal and Toronto, according to the government agency’s report released Wednesday.
These two cities have two of the three highest proportions of renter households in the country. In Montreal, the rate is 61%, while in Toronto, almost one in two people rent a property (48%), according to the 2021 census.
The 12 largest cities in Canada, including the metropolis and Quebec, were analyzed as part of this study conducted over a period of 20 years.
Among these cities, more than 900 deaths have been reported in connection with extreme heat.
People aged 65 and over are mainly affected by these mortality risks.
“As climate change leads to more frequent and intense extreme heat events (…), it is important to understand how and where excessive heat affects health,” an expert said in the report.
Heat waves are more common in cities in southwestern Ontario, while municipalities in British Columbia have the fewest. While Montreal experiences fewer long hot spells, those that do occur are among the most violent in the country.
Access to air conditioning is also rarer among tenants than for owners.
For example, in Quebec, recent research has shown that almost one in two tenants has an air conditioning system (49%), while the average in the province is 58%.
The same phenomenon occurs in Ontario (71% versus 85%) and British Columbia (24% versus 32%).
