Life is cooler along the river.

The past weeks have proven some of the hottest, if not the hottest, days of summer anywhere in Canada.

Wildfires all over the northern territories and the northern regions of many of the provinces have dominated the national news, with brief breaks for updates on the President Trump-inspired global trade war and how that is affecting Canada, along with news about the ongoing wars between Ukraine and Russia and between Israel and the Hamas group in Palestine.

In the Prescott-Russell region, the continuing heat has resulted in fire bans for every municipality in an effort to reduce the potential risk of a wildfire outbreak in the local woods.

As their lawns turn yellow under the hot sun, many residents find thankful respite by spending mornings and afternoons along the Ottawa River, for boating, fishing, or just sitting and relaxing and dabbling their toes in the cool water, and waiting for the heatwave to break. Again.