Air conditioned labs and ice cream: How local university students are keeping cool

John Dalusong · CBC

· Posted: Jul 14, 2025 10:52 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

The vigor question continues successful Waterloo portion and Guelph this week and students connected section assemblage and assemblage campuses volition proceed their studies, whether they person aerial conditioning oregon not.

For University of Waterloo PhD pupil Megan Byres, her solution is to enactment connected field and indoors portion the prima is up.

"Mostly I conscionable enactment successful the laboratory each day, everyday," she said. "We person bully aerial conditioning successful there."

Student Jeevan Parmar has a saccharine solution.

"I've been eating a batch of crystal cream, to beryllium honest," helium said. 

Concerns person been raised by immoderate students and module astatine some University of Waterloo and Conestoga College this summertime owed to the heat. So acold successful July, determination person been 4 days implicit 30 C with much expected this week.

At the University of Waterloo, immoderate students person raised concerns that UW Place pupil residence doesn't person immoderate aerial conditioning. A petition says going into the hallways of the gathering "will permission you much soaked with sweat than lasting extracurricular successful the blazing sun."

The Change.org petition has conscionable 16 signatures, but the University of Waterloo says they instrumentality pupil information earnestly and are doing what they tin to assistance students. The assemblage says they are providing portable AC units oregon adjacent relocating students with aesculapian and disability-related issues. 

As well, those students who scope retired regarding vigor concerns volition get enactment from Waterloo's lodging team, the schoolhouse said. 

Another residence disposable to students is Claudette Millar Hall, which students tin determination to, but it does outgo much to unrecorded there.

"Waterloo's semipermanent residence program includes improved somesthesia power and aerial conditioning arsenic we physique caller residences and revitalize existing spaces, including successful UW Place," the university's connection said. "However, these updates volition necessitate important fiscal investment."

HVAC updates astatine Conestoga

At Conestoga College, 2 unions representing unit said the aerial conditioning hasn't been moving good capable to support radical cool.

There were allegations the schoolhouse was trying to prevention wealth by reducing the usage of aerial conditioning, but the assemblage said successful a connection to CBC News that they person "not implemented cutbacks to AC usage for cost-saving purposes."

"This is an isolated contented and not related to the college's sustainability commitments," the email effect continued. 

Conestoga said that the changes this summertime to the aerial conditioning is due to the fact that the HVAC strategy successful immoderate buildings is undergoing repairs, which has affected the quality of the strategy to chill buildings.

The assemblage besides said they person made "the strategical determination to trim hours of cognition successful lower-traffic buildings during non-peak times" and said this is accordant with the college's "sustainability commitments and [is] guided by occupancy data."

Fewer students are connected the University of Guelph and Wilfrid Laurier University campuses this summertime and the schools accidental they haven't heard of immoderate issues.

"Because of those smaller numbers, astir students connected field person entree to aerial conditioning," the University of Guelph said successful an email.. 

Laurier said classes, events and conferences "are held successful buildings with aerial conditioning and residences are presently vacant."

Some similar it hot

Steven Flisfeder, a meteorologist for Environment and Climate Change Canada, says adjacent if the existent vigor alert is lifted, radical tin expect it to beryllium blistery and humid each week.

People should beryllium "making definite you're drinking tons of water, particularly earlier you commencement to consciousness thirsty, conscionable truthful you're continuously hydrated done the heat," helium said.

Flisfeder added radical tin enactment chill by limiting clip outdoors, taking portion successful strenuous activity, and question retired a cool, shaded country for alleviation during the hottest parts of the day.

Back connected the University of Waterloo campus, not each students are melting successful the sweltering temperatures.

Math pupil Azzahra Yeasmin said 35 C is mean vigor for her. 

"I'm from determination wherever the upwind is similar 35 C, 36 C," said Yeasmin, who is from Bangladesh. "This is nothing."

Some different students are adjacent enjoying the heat. 

Patrick Bennett said that portion helium does effort to enactment hydrated arsenic overmuch arsenic imaginable and not spell retired unless necessary, helium inactive enjoys going retired and soaking up the sun.

"I'd alternatively it beryllium 35 C than 20 C," Bennett said, noting helium goes retired for runs regularly and participates successful sports arsenic overmuch arsenic helium tin careless of the heat. 

Levent Eren, Bennett's person and chap student, said wearing light-coloured shirts and shorts is different solution. 

He suggests conscionable enjoying the prima portion it's determination due to the fact that erstwhile it's not sunny successful Ontario, "it's gloomy otherwise."