OTTAWA – A scorching heat wave has kept crowds on Parliament Hill smaller than usual for Canada Day festivities in the nation’s capital.
Paramedics in Ottawa have been busy responding to holiday revellers in distress, mainly due to the heat. Temperatures were above 34 C with a humidex that reached 47 C in the afternoon.
Ottawa Paramedic Services says as of 2 p.m., their members had attended to 54 patients at Canada Day events. Seven people were taken to hospital with heat illnesses or heart problems.
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Both Ottawa police and the parliamentary police force say there have been no security incidents on or around Parliament Hill.
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But officials do say they’ve noticed a drop in the number of participants this year, which they attribute mainly to the heat.
Canadian Heritage says only 6,000 people attended the noon-hour show on Parliament Hill – thousands less than last year.
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