Toronto opens warming centres ahead of cold stretch

The City of Toronto has opened warming centres ahead of what is expected to be the coldest stretch of weather in the city so far this season.

The city opened the three centres at 5 p.m. Sunday with the temperatures expected to fall to -5 C overnight into Monday morning. With the windchill it will feel closer to -8.

The three warming centres are located downtown at 75 Elizabeth Street, in North York at Willowdale Baptist Church (15 Olive Avenue), and in Scarborough at St. John the Divine Anglican Church (885 Scarborough Golf Club Road).

The city activates its warming centres when temperatures reach -5 C or when a winter weather event warning is issued from Environment Canada.

Each of the centres accept walk-ins and provide resting spaces, meals, washrooms and referrals to emergency shelters. The city says if a location is at capacity they will aim to provide transportation to another centre that has available space.

A map of the locations and more information can be found here.