Toronto Issues Extreme Cold Weather Alert
Posted December 8, 2010 12:55 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The city has issued its first extreme cold weather alert of the season in an attempt to get homeless people inside and protected from the frigid temperatures.
During an alert, outreach workers search for people living on the streets, handing out TTC tokens and trying to convince them to find shelter.
The city provides extra services, including 171 more beds and looser restrictions at shelters, and hands out tokens at a number of drop-in centres.
One man who has been living on Toronto’s streets for 15 years says convincing many homeless people to take refuge can be difficult.
“The soup truck comes by for them, does they best they can. They need special counselling to get them in out of the cold,” says Joe Possiel.
But Joe says most people are grateful for the help.
“Most guys are looking for a better life,” he said.
An alert is called when Environment Canada predicts a temperature of -15 C or lower, without wind chill; issues a wind chill warning; or predicts extreme weather conditions, such as a blizzard, ice storm or sudden drops in temperature.
If you need emergency shelter, call 311 or Central Intake at 416-338-4766 or toll free within the GTA at 1-877-338-3398, 24 hours.
If you see someone on the street who needs help, call 311. If it’s an emergency, call 911.
For more information, visit the City of Toronto website.
