Quebec overhauls building code to shield workers from heat
Posted September 10, 2026 7:26 am.
Decreased motivation, dehydration, fatigue: Quebec workers are suffering the effects of the heat, a new survey shows. The Quebec Coalition for a Right to Coolness is calling on decision-makers to adopt a responsible cooling strategy.
This strategy would notably involve adapting the Building Code and providing more spaces that allow outdoor workers to lower their body temperature. This does not mean installing air conditioning, but rather improving ventilation or providing shade in certain areas.
According to a Léger survey conducted in July 2026 and commissioned by the Quebec Public Health Association (ASPQ), 72 per cent of employed individuals reported experiencing at least one effect of the extreme heat. These effects included difficulty concentrating, increased fatigue, thirst or symptoms of dehydration, and decreased motivation at work.
The data doesn’t surprise Patrick Rondeau, director of the Environment and Just Transition department at the Quebec Federation of Labour (FTQ). He states that it is similar to a 2024 report by the International Labour Organization, which indicated a 33 per cent increase in workers in the Americas suffering from occupational injuries due to heat stress since 2000.
“Unfortunately, the figures we see in Quebec are consistent with what we see internationally,” commented Rondeau.
According to him, sooner or later, the number of workers affected by the heat will increase if nothing is done. “Excessive temperatures, heat stress, what we commonly call heat stroke, increase the internal temperature of the human body and can cause permanent damage that can even lead to death. It’s a very serious problem,” warns Rondeau.
There are also impacts on workers inside
Outdoor workers — for example in agriculture, construction, postal service, etc. — are more at risk of the adverse effects of heat on their health.
“We make many connections with outdoor workers. They will obviously be increasingly affected by the climate, given that heat waves are becoming more and more frequent,” emphasizes Cyril Frazao, director of health and climate at the ASPQ. “So yes, it’s certain that problems of dehydration, fatigue, and heat stroke will increase if there are no adjustments to workplace safety.”
However, there are also indoor jobs where the heat can become suffocating. “Environments where you can’t lower the temperature. I’m thinking of cleaners, press operators […] or in certain industries where you have to keep the heat in, you can’t extract it,” says Rondeau.
The case of schools overheating as summer approaches has received a lot of media attention, but the same situation applies to other buildings that fall under the public and parapublic sectors.
“A public building has a dual function. It accommodates the population, sometimes people who are very vulnerable to the heat. But it is also a workplace for thousands of people. So, by adapting these buildings, we are acting on both public health and working conditions,” explains Frazao.
In the survey, 68 per cent of respondents stated that adapting buildings should be a priority for the government.
Less productivity
From a productivity standpoint, the heat leads to lost working hours for the employer. “One in five employed people tell us outright that their work becomes more difficult to perform. So, the heat directly impacts the ability to work,” Frazao points out, citing the survey.
“There is a performance culture pretty much everywhere in the world, including in Quebec,” says Rondeau. “So, we won’t necessarily stop working. We see it in certain sectors like construction or in municipal services.”
There are two solutions to this, the FTQ spokesperson stated. “Either we apply what already exists in the Act respecting occupational health and safety and its regulations, that is to say, regulating the temperature at which people work accompanied by systematic breaks — or we adapt the workplaces.”
In addition to the implementation of a responsible cooling strategy (and its sustainable funding), the Quebec Coalition for a Right to Coolness is asking decision-makers to recognize the burden of extreme heat and to strengthen prevention and enforcement of the rules known to the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST).
The government has “very direct leverage” at the building level, Frazao points out. “It can start with its own building stock and integrate cooling into the renovation, design, and management of its buildings,” he explains. Revising the Building Code with regard to renovation is essential to adapting to the extreme heat, which is expected to worsen with climate change.
—The Canadian Press’s health coverage is supported by a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. The Canadian Press is solely responsible for this journalistic content.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
