With Toronto set to experience some of its coldest temperatures of the season, the city has issued an extreme weather alert to add shelter spaces and mobilize services for homeless people who are at greater risk of serious injury or death in frigid weather.
People who see someone who they think is in need of street outreach assistance are asked to call 311. If it is an emergency, call 911.
Wednesday’s high will be -8 C with a 60 per cent change of flurries in the afternoon and periods of snow at night. Overnight, the temperature will drop to -16 C but it will feel much colder with the wind chill.
People will really need to bundle up Thursday as Toronto shivers through one of the coldest days of winter.
The temperature will be steady near -16 C and the wind chill will be -27, Environment Canada warns.
The wind will be gusting to 50 kilometres-per-hour and there will be periods of snow until the afternoon. After that, there will be a 60 per cent chance of flurries for the rest of the day.
The city may see about four centimetres of fresh snow by Friday.
Torontonians will get some relief over the weekend, when highs of zero degrees are expected Saturday and Sunday.
Normal temperatures for this time of year are highs of -1 C and lows of -9 C.
Shelter spaces added to system
During an extreme cold weather alert, the city adds 26 shelter spaces for men and women, and homeless shelters are directed to relax service restrictions.
If a bed is not available, shelters must allow people to stay inside until they can find a bed at a different shelter.
Street outreach workers will be patrolling the downtown core to warn homeless people of the dangers and urge them to go to a shelter or another warm place.
If necessary, workers will transport people to warm places. TTC tokens are being handed out at some drop-ins so people can travel to shelters.
The city calls an extreme cold weather alert when Environment Canada predicts an overnight temperature of -15 C or colder, a wind chill warning or extreme weather conditions such as a blizzard, ice storm or sudden drops in temperature.
