Vancouver opens additional warming centres and shelters ahead of cold snap
Warming centres and shelters across the Lower Mainland are preparing for what’s expected to be a bitterly cold weekend.
Nearly the entire province is under a special weather statement with temperatures expected to plummet.
On Friday, the City of Vancouver announced it would be opening more sites to help the unhoused escape from the blast of winter.
“The city of Vancouver takes it very seriously. Folks who are unhoused are the most vulnerable in our communities and neighborhoods and are most at risk of experiencing health-related complications due to extreme cold,” said Bruk Melles, director of homeless services for the City of Vancouver.
Vancouver has 1,200 shelter spaces, an additional 250 open during the winter, and another 88 welcoming people when temperatures are lower than zero degrees Celsius.
The city is also opening seven warming centres Friday night — with a capacity for 150 people. They’re not just on the Downtown Eastside, but also in Marpole, Mount Pleasant, and Fairview.
“Individuals can bring, depending on the site, bring their pets with them, or carts. Really, it's a place to be welcomed in, have some snacks, have some warm beverages. There's typically tables and chairs set up and there's blankets,” said Melles.
Extreme Weather Response Shelters
Directions Youth Services Centre
1138 Burrard Street
10 p.m. – 7 a.m.
Cascades Church
3833 Boundary Road
9:30 p.m. – 9 a.m.
Bud Osborn EWR
27 West Hastings Street
7 p.m. – 7 a.m.
The Salvation Army Belkin House
555 Homer Street
9 p.m. – 7 a.m.
Langara YMCA
282 West 49th Avenue
9:30 p.m. – 7 a.m.
Warming Centres
Powell Street Getaway
450 East Hastings Street
9 p.m. – 7:30 a.m.
Odd Fellows Hall
1433 West 8th Avenue
9:30 p.m. – 8:30 a.m.
Marpole Neighbourhood House
8585 Hudson Street
10 p.m. – 8:30 a.m.
Gathering Place
609 Helmecken
8:30 p.m. – 7:30 a.m.
Mount Pleasant Community Centre
1 Kingsway
10:00 p.m. – 6:30 a.m.
Overdose Prevention Society
141 East Hastings
11:00 p.m. – 8:30 a.m.
Aboriginal Front Door
390 Main St
11:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m.
January has been mild on the South Coast with temperatures above seasonal. That is expected to change overnight Friday and into Saturday as arctic air arrives.
The mercury is expected to drop five to ten degrees below normal.
Temperatures will hover around zero degrees Celsius, lowering to minus six at night.
However, it will feel even colder with wind chill making frostbite a real danger.
“40 kilometer an hour wind sustained, really brings you quite close to minus 15, minus 20. That's when those Arctic outflow warnings can set up. We'll be issuing those when we can kind of see the whites of its eyes and make and making sure that it is in fact, likely,” said Armel Castellan, a Meteorologist for Environment Canada
The frigid temperatures are expected to persist into next week, so most shelters and warming centres will be open for another four or five days.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP motion regarding Palestinian statehood passes after major Liberal alterations
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Ohio mom who left toddler alone 10 days when she went on vacation pleads guilty to aggravated murder
An Ohio mother whose 16-month-old daughter died after being left home alone in a playpen for 10 days last summer while she went on vacation was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
5 charged in Calgary kidnappings that targeted women
Calgary police have charged five men in a pair of kidnappings last year that targeted innocent victims.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Canadian commander of volunteer fighter group dies in Ukraine
A Canadian-born commander of the so-called Norman Brigade, a volunteer fighting group in Ukraine, has died.