The Daily UbuntuThread 04 · Climate and Our Relationship to the Land · September 25, 2026
July 2018, the heat that isolates
The 2018 heat wave caused 66 deaths in Montreal, mostly among people who were alone or ill: neighbourly solidarity saves lives.
1 · The scene
Third day of a heat wave in a building in Hochelaga. On the fourth floor, a young father notices that the curtains of the neighbour across the hall haven't moved since the day before. He hesitates, then knocks. She opens, dizzy, in a stifling apartment.
He comes back with a bottle of cold water and a fan lent by the superintendent. That evening, three tenants get organized: each one knocks on two doors, morning and evening, until the alert is over. No one calls it "volunteering." They call it being neighbours.
Original vignette
2 · The documented case
The 2018 heat wave in Montreal
From June 30 to July 5, 2018, an extreme heat wave hit the island of Montreal. In May 2019, the regional public health department published its investigation: 66 deaths were directly caused by the heat. Among those who died, 66% were 65 or older, 72% had a chronic illness, and 80% died at home.
The investigation shows that heat does not strike everyone the same way. Living alone, having a low income, being elderly or living with a mental health condition increased the risk. People with schizophrenia accounted for 26% of the deaths, while they make up less than 1% of the population. And 66% of the victims lived in a heat island: for vulnerable people, living in a hotter, less green area doubled the risk of dying.
Public health recommended combining emergency services, health care and community organizations, and greening the hottest neighbourhoods. At bottom, the answer resembles an old southern African wisdom: Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu, a person is a person through other persons. When heat isolates, it is the presence of neighbours that protects.
3 · The voice
“We need to develop neighbourly solidarity to spot vulnerable people.”
4 · The question
During the next heat wave, which door on your street could you knock on, and who, for their part, could knock on yours?
Sources
- Radio-Canada, "La canicule de 2018 a fait 66 morts sur l'île de Montréal," 2019 (in French). ici.radio-canada.ca
- La Presse, "Canicule de 2018 : 66 décès liés à la chaleur à Montréal," May 15, 2019 (in French). www.lapresse.ca
- Montreal regional public health department, "Vague de chaleur été 2018 à Montréal : enquête épidémiologique" (PreventionWeb record), May 16, 2019 (in French). www.preventionweb.net
Every figure on this page links to a verifiable public source.
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