The Toronto Heat Safety coalition strongly supports the City of Toronto’s proposal to expand its free air conditioner distribution program for low-income people in the 2026 budget. This investment would significantly increase the number of people who are protected from the health impacts of extreme heat.
As heat waves become more frequent and dangerous in Toronto, access to in-home cooling is increasingly a matter of safety, especially for low-income tenants who are least able to protect themselves from rising temperatures. The increased funding recognizes that cooling is not a luxury – it is an essential public health intervention.
Extreme heat is already a leading climate-related cause of death in Canada. For tenants living in housing without cooling, indoor temperatures can quickly become dangerous. Research shows that air conditioning is one of the most effective tools for preventing heat-related mortality. A 2025 study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that during extreme heat events, mortality rates were significantly higher in Ontario nursing homes without air conditioning compared to homes with air conditioning. The study estimated that air conditioning mandates in Ontario long term care facilities saved approximately 33 lives between 2020 and 2023, and that 131 deaths could have been prevented had the mandate been introduced a decade earlier.
Of course, making air conditioning accessible to those who cannot afford it is only one part of the solution. In a warming climate, tenants need to be protected from extreme heat just like they are currently protected from extreme cold – by a property standard which sets a minimum temperature in all rental units.
The City is currently developing a maximum temperature by-law for all rental units, which will be introduced in May 2026. As Toronto moves towards a proposed maximum temperature by-law for all rental units, expanded access to air conditioning will play a critical role in protecting tenants, while supporting a fair and practical implementation of new standards.
There’s also demand for protection from extreme heat. Toronto’s pilot program to distribute air conditioning units to income-eligible seniors in 2025 was a success. In total, close to 500 air conditioning units were delivered and installed in the homes of low-income seniors across 250 buildings throughout the City. The seniors who received air conditioners from the program will be safer and healthier when heat waves hit again next summer.
The Toronto Heat Safety coalition will continue to support City of Toronto staff to ensure air conditioning units are supplied, delivered and installed in as many homes as possible. The City’s proposal to expand this program sends a clear message: protecting tenants from extreme heat is a priority, and life-saving solutions must be accessible to those who need them most.
Read the Toronto Heat Safety coalition’s submission to the City of Toronto Budget Committee here.
Blog: Expanded Cooling Program Will Save Lives as Extreme Heat Intensifies in Toronto
The Toronto Heat Safety coalition strongly supports the City of Toronto’s proposal to expand its free air conditioner distribution program for low-income people in the 2026 budget. This investment would significantly increase the number of people who are protected from the health impacts of extreme heat.
As heat waves become more frequent and dangerous in Toronto, access to in-home cooling is increasingly a matter of safety, especially for low-income tenants who are least able to protect themselves from rising temperatures. The increased funding recognizes that cooling is not a luxury – it is an essential public health intervention.
Extreme heat is already a leading climate-related cause of death in Canada. For tenants living in housing without cooling, indoor temperatures can quickly become dangerous. Research shows that air conditioning is one of the most effective tools for preventing heat-related mortality. A 2025 study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that during extreme heat events, mortality rates were significantly higher in Ontario nursing homes without air conditioning compared to homes with air conditioning. The study estimated that air conditioning mandates in Ontario long term care facilities saved approximately 33 lives between 2020 and 2023, and that 131 deaths could have been prevented had the mandate been introduced a decade earlier.
Of course, making air conditioning accessible to those who cannot afford it is only one part of the solution. In a warming climate, tenants need to be protected from extreme heat just like they are currently protected from extreme cold – by a property standard which sets a minimum temperature in all rental units.
The City is currently developing a maximum temperature by-law for all rental units, which will be introduced in May 2026. As Toronto moves towards a proposed maximum temperature by-law for all rental units, expanded access to air conditioning will play a critical role in protecting tenants, while supporting a fair and practical implementation of new standards.
There’s also demand for protection from extreme heat. Toronto’s pilot program to distribute air conditioning units to income-eligible seniors in 2025 was a success. In total, close to 500 air conditioning units were delivered and installed in the homes of low-income seniors across 250 buildings throughout the City. The seniors who received air conditioners from the program will be safer and healthier when heat waves hit again next summer.
The Toronto Heat Safety coalition will continue to support City of Toronto staff to ensure air conditioning units are supplied, delivered and installed in as many homes as possible. The City’s proposal to expand this program sends a clear message: protecting tenants from extreme heat is a priority, and life-saving solutions must be accessible to those who need them most.
Read the Toronto Heat Safety coalition’s submission to the City of Toronto Budget Committee here.
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