The City of Kamloops may not open indoor cooling centers until Tuesday of next week.

That is when the temperature is expected to hit 35 C with an overnight low of 18 C, with 39 C the forecast high Tuesday and Wednesday. While Sunday is also calling for a high of 35 C and a low of 20 C, Monday’s high of 34 C falls short of the city’s threshold by one degree.

“We take direction from Environment and Climate Change Canada,” Recreation, Health and Wellness Supervisor, Linda Stride, told NL News. “So when they indicate there is an alert, we then activate. An alert is only given when we hit the 35-18-35, so if there is a day in between when it goes below 35, then they will not issue an alert.”

“We are following just like we did with COVID, we are following the direction of the province and of Interior Health, as opposed to making up our own rules and our own protocols.”

When indoor cooling centres are needed, Stride says the City will be opening up Sandman Centre first, noting it will be open from 12 noon until 8 pm.

“Our cooling sites are activated based on our resources and at this time, we are having to use staff for next week, as we are just training our volunteers,” she said.

Pending staff and volunteer availability, Stride says the City will also aim to open the Parkview Activity Centre and Valleyview Community Hall as additional cooling sites.

Stride also says the City also has a number of outdoor cooling centres at parks, with the entire list available online.

You’ll find more on the City’s heat response plan here.