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
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
Spike in 'violent rhetoric' since Oct. 7 attack from 'extremist actors,' CSIS warns
The Israel-Hamas war has led to a spike in 'violent rhetoric' from 'extremist actors' that could prompt some in Canada to turn to violence, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warns.
Russia announces nuclear weapon drills after angry exchange with senior Western officials
Russia plans to hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons, the Defense Ministry announced Monday, days after the Kremlin reacted angrily to comments by senior Western officials about the war in Ukraine and Moscow warned that tensions with the West are deepening.
Summer forecast: What to expect as El Nino weakens
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Israeli army tells Palestinians to evacuate parts of Gaza's Rafah ahead of an expected assault
The Israeli army ordered some 100,000 Palestinians on Monday to begin evacuating from the southern city of Rafah, signaling that a long-promised ground invasion there could be imminent and further complicating efforts to broker a cease-fire in Gaza.