Businesses in Lethbridge seeing boost in business as heat warning remains in effect

With a heat warning re-issued for Lethbridge and parts of southern Alberta, businesses that depend on the sunshine are taking full advantage of it.

“Since the middle of July, it's been crazy in here almost everyday,” said Ashley Ohno, co-owner of Milkman Milk Bar.

“The hot weather and sunshine just naturally brings people out to find cool, sweet treats such as ice cream.”

Environment Canada says daytime temperatures can range from 29 to 26 degrees, while overnight lows will be between 14 and 18 degrees.

While the heat may be too hot for some, others are grateful for it.

“We're really fortunate that the season hasn't been extremely smoky so far,” said Karlee Ascione, programmer with Recreation Excellence who operate Henderson Outdoor Pool.

“So, the amazing weather we’ve had for the month of July, heatwave included, has meant that the pool has been quite busy.”

She says crowds have held steady compared to previous years, with many people trying to find ways to stay cool.

“An average weekday-wise, we could be in the 500-700 range and on weekends, if it's a particularly warm day, 700 and up,” Ascione said.

Stay hydrated: AHS

Alberta Health Services says keeping hydrated is key to beating the heat and staying safe.

Interfaith Food Bank, along with the Lethbridge Food Bank are continuing to run a city-wide water drive for the vulnerable population.

“From just our facility, we're doing 15 cases per agency per day,” said Danielle McIntyre, Interfaith Food Bank executive director.

In an effort to help, more than a dozen businesses are offering free water refills.

Using the BlueW initiative, BlueW stickers are being displayed in windows of participating locations and an online map is available.

Four public drinking stations are also set up at Nicholas Sheran Park, Legacy Park, Henderson Lake Park and Galt Gardens.

While demand for bottled water is high during the summer peak, McIntyre says the support has kept up with burgeoning demand.

“We are very fortunate that the City of Lethbridge is also matching the donations from the community,” McIntyre said. “We've been able to pre-purchase some of it, but we're also starting to see different groups running their own water drives to contribute to the larger project.”

Cooler temperatures are forecast for early next week.