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The city launched the over $200,000 initiative in the spring and it had been outlined in the year’s budget priorities. The air conditioners were distributed through a lottery system that divided ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ into four community councils, executive director with Environment, Climate and Forestry James Doyle said.

He estimated that tens of thousands of air conditioners would be needed to help ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ residents.

Whether the initiative will be rolled out on a larger scale depends on the city’s upcoming budget and any possibly partnerships between ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ and the provincial or federal governments, Chow said.

Chow acknowledged people without air conditioning may be struggling to stay cool while the city is under a special air quality statement.

“I understand if the quality of air is not really good then it’s harder to open the door which makes it even worse,” she said. “I can understand the dilemma which is why we are installing the air conditioning units, but we need to find the financial means to get these air conditioners.”

Anybody who is receiving or is under the Ontario Disability Support Program and has been prescribed a cooling device can .