{"id":803083,"date":"2026-07-15T08:07:30","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T08:07:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/803083\/"},"modified":"2026-07-15T08:07:30","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T08:07:30","slug":"cooling-kits-deployed-to-at-risk-montrealers-in-vulnerable-neighbourhoods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/803083\/","title":{"rendered":"Cooling kits deployed to at-risk Montrealers in vulnerable neighbourhoods"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Text<\/p>\n

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Estimated 3 minutes<\/p>\n

The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.<\/p>\n

When Montreal Public Health officials warned residents to take caution during a heat wave earlier this summer<\/a>, Runa Leila said her thoughts were with the dozens of families in the Parc-Extension neighbourhood without access to air conditioning.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s why she is spending the summer going door to door handing out \u201cfreshness kits,\u201d a blue bag containing a small fan, a spray bottle, a thermometer and pamphlets with instructions on how to call for help if residents experience negative health effects from the heat. <\/p>\n

A worker with the non-profit Afrique au F\u00e9minin, Leila says this information is crucial for newly arrived immigrants who might not know who to call if they need help.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people are new here, so it is very good information for them,\u201d she said. \u201cSome people are very interested and happy [to get the kits].\u201d<\/p>\n

\"RunaRuna Leila hands a kit to a Parc-Extension resident. (Sharon Yonan-Renold\/CBC)<\/p>\n

According to the Centraide of Greater Montreal<\/a>, nearly half of Parc-Extension residents are immigrants. The neighbourhood also hosts the second largest population of asylum seekers on the island, after Montr\u00e9al-Nord, and median household income ranks as the second lowest in Montreal, trailing only Peter-McGill.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Afrique au F\u00e9minin general director Rose Ndjel says her team pays close attention to seniors, who are particularly vulnerable to heat-related health issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of the elders are too isolated. We want to reach them,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ndjel says the initiative is also an opportunity for the organization to do community outreach and ask residents what they need.<\/p>\n

That might include regular check-ins, help with taxes or access to a food bank.<\/p>\n

WATCH | Workers hand out cooling kits to vulnerable residents:\"\"<\/p>\n

Montrealers at risk of extreme heat can receive free cooling kits<\/p>\n

For the third year, Montreal public health has prepared cooling kits for those vulnerable during extreme heat. Runa Leila, a worker with the community organization Afrique au F\u00e9minin, is going door to door in the Villeray\u2013Saint-Michel\u2013Parc-Extension borough to hand them out.’There\u2019s people that care’<\/p>\n

Parc-Extension resident Bryan Thambirajah says that Afrique au F\u00e9minin is providing a crucial service.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it\u2019s really bright outside, that\u2019s when I feel like it\u2019s very hot and dry in my house,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of people that don\u2019t have enough income for [air conditioning]. I feel like this could help, especially in this neighbourhood.\u201d<\/p>\n

The project was launched by Montreal Public Health in 2024. In a statement, it says the goal this year is to distribute 2,200 kits in the C\u00f4te-des-Neiges and Parc Extension neighbourhoods, with Afrique au F\u00e9minin responsible for the latter.<\/p>\n

It says it selects the neighbourhoods using a mapping tool that combines heat-related risk factors, reports received in the field, and discussions held with project partners, including the City of Montreal. It says the program is funded until summer 2027 and it hopes that it will be renewed.<\/p>\n

Parc-Extension resident Dimitri Minas says the project reminds the community that people are there for them.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt gives them encouragement that there\u2019s people that care,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Listen to this article Estimated 3 minutes The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":803084,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194292],"tags":[49,48,2338],"class_list":["post-803083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-montreal","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-montreal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/803083","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=803083"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/803083\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/803084"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=803083"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=803083"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=803083"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}