The City of Toronto has opened its three warming centers as freezing temperatures hit the city.
The facilities located at Metro Hall at 55 John St., Scarborough Civic Center at 150 Borough Dr. and Mitchell Field Community Center at 89 Church Ave. in North York, opened their doors Friday at 7 p.m. and are expected to remain open throughout the weekend.
The town center site can accommodate up to 45 people, while the Scarborough one has 17 seats. The third warming center in Willowdale has room for 50 vulnerable individuals.
Anyone needing a safe and warm indoor space is welcome to stop by to rest, eat and use the restroom. Referrals to an emergency location in the city’s shelter system are also offered to unhoused community members who visit these sites.
Typically, Toronto warming centers are activated when the Toronto City Medical Officer of Health declares an extreme cold weather warning based on an Environment Canada forecast of -15 C or colder, or when there is a wind chill of -20 C or colder.
An extreme weather warning may also be issued when the forecast includes factors that increase the health impact of cold weather such as precipitation, low daytime temperatures or several consecutive days and nights of cold weather.
It’s minus 10C in Toronto right now, but it feels more like 19C with the wind chill. The expected maximum temperature for Saturday is minus 6 degrees.
The existence of these warnings stems from a June 1996 report by the Homeless Emergency Task Force, which called for a response to the increasing number of people who are becoming homeless and in need of services. They were first introduced in Toronto in the winter of 1996-1997.
Toronto Public Health’s Cold Weather Response Plan, which provides a framework for implementing and coordinating cold weather preparedness and response activities that focus on reducing the negative health impacts of cold weather, is in effect each year from November 15 to April 15.
The warming centers are also one aspect of Toronto’s 2022/23 winter services plan for those experiencing homelessness, which city officials say also includes opening 1,000 more shelter spaces in addition to the more than 8,000 spaces that are now provided nightly to vulnerable residents.
In recent weeks, advocates and supporters have urged the City of Toronto to immediately open more warming centers and make them available 24 hours a day, seven days a week during the coldest months of the year.
Among other things, they also want the city to end evictions from camps and destruction of survival gear, keep current shelter spaces open, including the five shelter hotels slated to close in 2023, and add an additional 2,700 spaces without collection within the usual shelter system.
In addition, advocates are calling for the City of Toronto to allocate more funds in its upcoming budget to additional shelter spaces, as well as to increase social services and support for the city’s vulnerable residents.
Add Comment