Montreal shelters expand services to care for homeless as extreme cold hits city
An extreme cold snap that brought risks of frostbite and hypothermia with temperatures of -28 C on Friday in Montreal had the city's shelters fearing for the homeless population.
Environment Canada said the effects of the "vigorous" cold front that was forecast to continue into Saturday with a wind chill making the temperature feel like -40 C would put people at risk.
The City of Montreal this week opened two temporary emergency warming centres for the homeless population, each of which can accommodate up to 50 people between 8 p.m. and 9 a.m.
The centres are to close on Sunday. City health officials warned that frostbite can cause permanent tissue damage necessitating amputation of fingers and toes, while they said hypothermia can cause death.
James Hughes, the head of homeless shelter network Old Mission Brewery, said Friday his staff were working tirelessly at the overflowed shelter in downtown Montreal.
"The men's facility is entirely full," he said. "We also run a walk-in service, and we have made sure that it's open 24 hours … It's got a 55 capacity, and we had 75 last night, so people spilled out into our cafeteria next door."
Hughes said there was a citywide effort to protect the homeless, adding that hospitals would not release patients who didn't have a place to sleep.
Marie-Noëlle L'Espérance, director of prevention and intervention with Dans la rue youth shelter in Montreal, said her group tries to accommodate as many people as possible in times of extreme weather.
City officials said there were more than 1,600 beds in Montreal shelters, but L'Espérance said she feared that number wasn't enough.
"Those spaces are already occupied," she said. "The 100 spaces that they just added are welcomed, but we are lacking spaces."
Marina Boulos-Winton, who heads Chez Doris, a women's shelter in downtown Montreal, echoed L'Espérance's concerns.
"The goal is to keep everybody safe. But the 1,600 beds are not enough," Boulos-Winton said in an interview on Friday. "I am concerned about people's mental health."
Quebec was not alone in feeling the bitter cold. Extreme cold warnings were in effect Friday across Ontario, and on the East Coast, temperatures were expected to feel like -40 C across much of the region overnight into Saturday.
Nova Scotia Community Services Minister Karla MacFarlane had promised that anyone in need of shelter would be provided a bed, even if the government needed to rent hotel rooms.
In Montreal, the Welcome Hall Mission shelter is open 24 hours and has a capacity of 165 people. CEO Sam Watts said they have a policy of not turning away anyone in need.
"When it's really cold, we have to be extra vigilant that we're working very closely with the entire ecosystem to make sure that nobody has to stay outside."
He said the extreme cold is particularly hard on people living on the streets because they often have health conditions that make them vulnerable.
"We take people in, and we encourage people to stay in," he said. "At the same time, we become extra aware of the medical conditions that people have.
"Because as I think you're aware, anybody with a number of comorbidities, in addition to experiencing homelessness, is extra vulnerable to extended periods of time outside. So that's a concern for us, and it just means that we work extra hard in times like this."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 3, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Calgary police shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers dealt with a distraught individual. The incident lasted almost 20 hours.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.