As a polar vortex grips Toronto, city officials have issued an urgent directive to homeless shelters, warming centres and respite sites: do everything possible to avoid turning anyone away during this weekend’s dangerous cold snap.
With windchill values expected to plunge to nearly –30 C by Saturday morning and another snowstorm forecast for Sunday, city staff are scrambling to create space indoors for people living on the streets and in encampments. That includes moving people between facilities, adding extra cots in shelters, and even placing chairs or beds in kitchens, dining areas and offices when no traditional beds are available.
“People can die in weather like this if they stay outside,” said Gord Tanner, head of Toronto’s shelter services, warning of the life-threatening risks of hypothermia and frostbite.
To prepare for the surge, the city has been relocating people from warming centres into larger shelter spaces such as Seaton House and Exhibition Place’s Better Living Centre, hoping to free up room for at least 117 additional people expected to seek refuge. Despite these efforts, the system is already under intense strain. Data shows surge warming centres and shelters were full earlier this week, even after activating contingency spaces and additional top bunk beds.
Frontline agencies say the directive is essential but adds pressure to an already overstretched network. Covenant House, which serves youth experiencing homelessness, reported placing cots in common areas and filling its gym with winter respite beds. Dixon Hall, which operates shelters and warming centres, said its sites are “packed every night” during this level of cold, and staff will keep people indoors even if it means improvising with chairs pushed together.
Outreach workers and advocates warn that overcrowding can lead to tensions, but say the risks of remaining outside are far greater. In extreme cold, exposure can lead not only to hypothermia and frostbite but also to burns from makeshift heat sources and increased substance use, raising the risk of overdose.
City officials say outreach efforts are being doubled this weekend, with first responders also keeping watch for people in distress. Residents who see someone struggling outdoors are urged to call 3-1-1 to request outreach support, or 9-1-1 in an emergency.
Despite these measures, advocates fear some people will still fall through the cracks and seek shelter in transit stations, libraries or parking garages to escape the cold.
“This weather exposes the cracks in the system,” said Dixon Hall CEO Mina Mawani. “But in conditions like this, keeping people alive has to come first.”