cityscape
Terrible Decisions Made in the Heat This Week in the GTA
Hot temperatures = decline in better judgment, apparently.
At least this dog knows how to stay hydrated. Photo by Gary Baker from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.
This week’s weather has been unbearable for many in southern Ontario. In the past month in Toronto alone, there have been eight heat alerts and two extreme heat alerts issued by the City. Temperatures have hovered around 30 C, and there has been little rain to provide a respite.
And when the heat rises, people start to make some really poor decisions.
The past week in the GTA has been a showcase of what not to do when the temperatures spike. Consider these your cautionary tales for summer.
Leaving an infant in a hot car
Police had to smash the window of a car in a Markham Costco parking lot when a two-month infant was found locked inside while the baby’s parents shopped. A passerby noticed the child unattended and crying inside the car and called police, who charged the parents when they returned 30 minutes later.
According to police, this scenario plays out every year with children, seniors, and pets, further diminishing our collective faith in humanity.
Not hydrating while playing Pokémon Go
Torontoist‘s own Corbin Smith was on the scene when paramedics responded to a medical emergency at Jack Layton ferry terminal, where a Pokémon Go player allegedly fainted due to dehydration. Smith says this isn’t the first time this has happened: just one day prior, another player passed out after they failed to eat or drink for a long stretch of time while out in the heat.
Perhaps developers should include “remember to hydrate” in the warning screen message at the start of the game.
Garbage in the lake
There’s nothing quite like cooling off from the summer heat by the lake—that is, unless there’s garbage floating around you. Condoms, wet wipes, and tampons were found among trash that surfaced from Lake Ontario earlier this month, and most people are thoroughly disgusted, including one conservation group that’s calling on the City for answers. The group suggested it came from a sewage system, but the City disputes that, and claims it’s the product of illegal dumping or cross-border contamination. Either way, it’s gross, and a great reminder not to pollute the beach.
Racism at the pool
Another great to place to cool off? The public pool. That’s what one woman tried to do with her austistic daughter in Mississauga—but she was asked to leave when she wouldn’t enter the pool to supervise the child. Shazia Dawood refused to get in the water because swimming with men in vicinity goes against her Muslim beliefs, and as a result, a lifeguard called security to escort the pair away. Pool staff deny any racist motives, but Dawood isn’t happy with the response.
The simple solution? Be respectful of those around you—no matter the weather.