A 74-year-old homeless man in Montreal died Monday night as extremely cold weather gripped the city.
Montreal police (SPVM) officers received a call about a man showing signs of hypothermia.
They located the senior at a camp between Saint-Jacques Street and Highway 20, in the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighbourhood.
The man was transferred to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The file has been transferred to the Coroner's Office.
An extreme cold weather warning by Environment Canada had organizations concerned, saying many who spend their nights outside are at risk when the mercury plummets.
Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante is expected to take questions from the media during a virtual news conference Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. alongside Josefina Blanco, the city's executive committee member responsible for social inclusion and homelessness.
- READ MORE: Montreal mayor says there are enough places for the homeless after man dies during cold snap
Dr. Horacio Arruda, who announced his resignation as Quebec's national director of public health Monday, had called on homeless organizations to ignore COVID-19 precautions for the next few nights.
He had asked shelters to open their dormitories "according to the capacity established before the pandemic, regardless of the outbreak status."
The message was well-received in the community, with many saying they were already on high alert as the temperature dropped rapidly.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Jan. 11, 2022
