In order to prevent anyone experiencing homelessness from ending up outdoors, the City of Montreal is announcing the opening of two emergency shelters.
According to a special weather bulletin issued by Environment Canada, an arctic air mass is expected to invade Abitibi-Témiscamingue on Thursday night and then move into central and southern Quebec.
Snow squalls and strong gusts are expected. The Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean and the St. Lawrence Valley should also feel the effects of this as early as Thursday evening, while other regions south of the river could be affected during the night from Thursday to Friday, Environment Canada warned.
The Weather Network predicts that the mercury could drop to -21 C on Thursday night in Montreal. Then, on Friday, the temperature could drop to -32 due to the wind chill.
The Montreal Regional Public Health Department said that, generally, health risks are higher when the felt temperature is below -27.
In an interview with The Canadian Press, the deputy medical director at the Montreal Regional Public Health Department, Dr. David Kaiser, said there is a strong increase in the risks associated with cold.
In the case of homeless people, the main concern is frostbite, but also hypothermia.
"Frostbite means that you can lose your fingers and toes. Hypothermia can be fatal. On Thursday, we expect [it to be] -25. At these temperatures, people in a homeless situation can die," he warned.
In response, Montreal is offering two new emergency sites to the homeless population. The first one opened on Tuesday in the Ville-Marie borough and a second one will open on Thursday in the Plateau Mont-Royal borough.
The sites will be able to accommodate people in need between 8 p.m. and 9 a.m. The plan is to close the shelters after the cold snap, starting Sunday.
"They are being made available to the health network and community organizations," the city's press release states, "to ensure that all vulnerable people have access to a warm place to stay in the event of overflow from the shelters and drop-in centres."
The city also announced that it will participate in a surveillance operation in collaboration with health and community resources.
Montreal police and members of the Équipe mobile de médiation en intervention sociale will be mobilized "to accompany people on the street to the appropriate shelter services," according to the city.
According to data provided by municipal officials, a record number of 1,600 places are available this winter in Montreal's shelters and drop-in centres.
STAYING WARM
Public health invites the population to protect themselves from the cold, noting that health risks increase with the duration of exposure during periods of extreme cold. In particular, the elderly and infants are more vulnerable to extreme cold.
People with heart disease, asthma and mobility issues are also considered more vulnerable and are advised to avoid going outside during periods of extreme cold.
"The mechanism we call 'heat stress' is that the cold will make the lungs and heart work harder. For people who are already fragile, this can lead to impacts such as heart attacks or asthma attacks," said Dr. Kaiser.
For people who have to go outside, it is recommended to make sure the skin and hair are dry and to wear warm clothing. People are also advised to protect the skin on their faces by covering up with a scarf and using face cream.
The extremities of the body should be well covered at all times, as up to 30 per cent of the body's heat can be lost by leaving the head uncovered.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Feb. 1, 2023.
--
The Canadian Press health content is funded through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. The Canadian Press is solely responsible for editorial decisions.
After weeks of resistance, and ahead of a vote that could have compelled it to happen, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office has announced that his chief of staff Katie Telford will testify about foreign interference, before a committee that has been studying the issue for months.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has released foreign interference special rapporteur David Johnston's mandate, which instructs the former governor general to determine by May 23 whether a public inquiry is necessary.
A 15-year-old is facing a number of charges, including attempted murder, after two staff members were stabbed at a high school in Bedford, N.S., Monday morning.
Donald Trump will try to turn any indictment to his advantage by stoking anger among core supporters over what they see as the weaponization of the justice system, though it may also push more Republicans tired of the drama around him to look for another presidential candidate.
A Virginia teacher who was shot and wounded by her 6-year-old student said it has changed her life and she has vivid memories and nightmares about that day.
Researchers have been pushing the limits of 3D printing for decades, using the manufacturing technique to churn out consumer goods such as furniture and shoes, human organs and even a rocket. But can the industrial technology be applied to make a fully baked dessert that can be fabricated in your home kitchen?
A 15-year-old is facing a number of charges, including attempted murder, after two staff members were stabbed at a high school in Bedford, N.S., Monday morning.
The president of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union (NSTU) is weighing in after two staff members and a student, who is also the suspect, were injured in a stabbing at Charles P. Allen High School in Bedford, N.S., Monday morning.
The New Brunswick government has tabled a $12.2-billion budget that forecasts a small surplus and promises a funding boost to help stabilize the ailing health-care sector.
At least 10 people are displaced after a century building in the heart of Aylmer was destroyed by fire Monday evening. The blaze broke out shortly after 8:30 pm on Talbot Street.
An 81-year old property owner tells CTV News he’ll do the work himself without machinery, if that’s the method directed by city council. Three years after John McLeod demolished the historic barn on Halls Mill Road without a permit, a plan to remove the pile of wooden debris is taking shape.
Sudbury police are looking for a transport truck and its driver involved in Monday's crash on MR80, originally believed to be a single-vehicle collision.
Gwyneth Paltrow appeared in court in Utah on Tuesday morning in a lawsuit filed by a retired optometrist who said that the actor-turned-lifestyle influencer violently crashed into him in 2016 while skiing at one of the most upscale ski resorts in the United States.
Students and community members will gather in protest outside the Calgary Board of Education Centre Tuesday morning, calling for the removal of the Sir John A. Macdonald name from a northwest junior high school.
A Wheatland County sanctuary that cares for abandoned and surrendered farm animals faces an uncertain future after having a permit application to keep operating denied.
One person was arrested in Surrey Monday after police say a speeding driver hit a pedestrian who was walking on the sidewalk, sending the victim to hospital.
A 15-year-old is facing a number of charges, including attempted murder, after two staff members were stabbed at a high school in Bedford, N.S., Monday morning.
The Edmonton police officers killed in the line of duty last week will be moved to a funeral home on Tuesday. A procession will take constables Brett Ryan and Travis Jordan from the medical examiner's office to Serenity Funeral Home at noon.
As asylum seekers pour across the border between Now York and Quebec at near-record numbers, the city is being asked to accommodate even more at area hotels.
Mixed reviews continue to roll in days after Experience Regina delivered new campaign slogans that lean into the double entendre of the capital city's name.
Saskatchewan RCMP and Combined Traffic Services Saskatchewan (CTSS) reported to have arrested and charged 138 motorists around the province under the criminal code for impaired driving in January and February.
