Nature turns up the heat, but King area takes it in stride
By Bill Rea

If you're looking for a way to keep cool, try the Township pool in Nobleton. It's open Mondays to Fridays from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. and 7 to 8:30, and weekends and holidays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 4:30 to 8:30.

Well, if you think it's been hot in King, you're right, and there's lots of evidence over the last week to back it up.

Sandy Radecki, a climatologist with Environment Canada, reported Thursday that nine of the previous 10 days had seen temperatures exceed the 30 C mark at nearby Buttonville.

She also said the statistics for July indicated average temperatures in the Toronto area had been one to two degrees above normal. They were 2.6 degrees above normal at Pearson International Airport and 1.2 degrees higher in downtown Toronto.

Radecki acknowledged, however, there can be significant differences between what goes on in Toronto and areas to the north. She said there had been evidence of more severe storms in the Newmarket area, including indications of 'tornadic events."

"I don't think there was any place in Ontario that was cooler than normal," she observed.

Although things have been excessively warm in the area, local officials reported few problems had resulted.

King's Fire Chief Bryan Burbidge reported only minor impacts. "Our medical calls have slightly increased," he commented, adding they have involved problems like difficulty breathing and heat stroke.

But Burbidge did express concern for his firefighters, and for problems they might face having to put on heavy equipment when responding to calls in this heat. He reported last week there had been no problems along those lines yet.

Although there have been media reports of increased business at hospital emergency rooms, that doesn't seem to be the case for the two main facilities serving King.

"They're not even seeing an increase in respiratory issues," commented Tammy Laroue, head of corporate communications at Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket.

She explained a lot of people in the hospital's catchment area evidently have air conditioning in their homes, adding she's never seen a significant number of heat related cases in her time at Southlake.

"Maybe it's because we have a lot of nice water nearby and people head for the beach," she speculated.

It's much the same at York Central Hospital in Richmond Hill. Although she had been told the heat can aggravate a number of conditions, Public Affairs Officer Stefanie Kreibe said the emergency room had reported no great increase in the number of cases.

Ontario set a new all-time record for electricity demand of 27,005 megawatts (MW) at 5 p.m., last Tuesday, exceeding the previous record of 26,160 MW set July 13 last year, according to Ontario's Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO).

"Today's events clearly demonstrated how all parts of the system work closely together to ensure reliability," Paul Murphy, IESO chief operating officer, commented at the time. "Ontario's generators and transmitters performed exceptionally well and we worked with neighbouring jurisdictions to coordinate reliable operation throughout the region. We would also like to thank

those consumers who were able to respond to our request to curtail their use of electricity."

The statement from IESO added increased generation over the past year has improved Ontario's overall supply this summer. In addition, IESO has introduced new market mechanisms to better manage the reliability of the system including the Emergency Load Reduction Program (ELRP).

IESO had issued a power warning last Tuesday, which remained in effect into the following day.

These warnings are issued by the IESO during periods of high demand for electricity, when supplies of reserve power are low and

any further reduction in transmission or generation availability or any increase in demand could create shortfalls of electricity.