Calgary takes steps to protect vulnerable population as temperature drops
City officials say there's a plan in place to help Calgary's homeless as colder weather is expected to settle in this week.
According to the forecast from Environment and Climate Change Canada, temperatures are expected to plunge below -20 C for the next three nights.
Daytime highs aren't expected to be much warmer, the agency reports.
As a result of the situation, the city, along with its community partners, will provide more shelter oppportunities for vulnerable Calgarians.
"We want to ensure that anyone who needs help can get it," said Mayor Jyoti Gondek in a statement.
"We've been working extensively with our partners at the Calgary Homeless Foundation, local shelters and community groups to offer services that will get individuals access facilities that have the capacity, teams and resources in place to best support them."
The supports include:
- Free shuttle service between select LRT stations and the Drop-In Centre/Alpha House between 8:30 p.m. and 1 a.m. from Nov. 30 to Dec. 1 – additional LRT stations will be considered as required;
- Additional warming spaces at five locations with hours ranging from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., depending on the location; and
- The Salvation Army's mobile warming station will be provided at different LRT stations seven days a week based on an online schedule.
The city says with the added spots, there are now 335 available at 10 locations across Calgary.
Further details about warming spots and other supports can be found online.
Anyone who sees someone who needs help during the cold weather is encouraged to contact the Downtown Outreach Addictions Partnership team at 403-998-7388.
If someone is in serious distress, Calgarians should call 911.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'oesn't get' the global phenomenom.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
Tornadoes collapse buildings and level homes in Nebraska and Iowa
Tornadoes wreaked havoc Friday in the Midwest, causing a building to collapse with dozens of people inside and destroying and damaging hundreds of homes, many around Omaha, Neb.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
opinion RFK Jr.'s presidential candidacy and its potential threat to Biden and Trump
Although it's still unclear how much damage Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s candidacy can do to either Joe Biden or Donald Trump this election, Washington political columnist Eric Ham says what is clear is both sides recognize the potential threat.
Haida elder suing Catholic Church and priest, hopes for 'healing and reconciliation'
The lawyer for a residential school survivor leading a proposed class-action defamation lawsuit against the Catholic Church over residential schools says the court action is a last resort.
Cisco reveals security breach, warns of state-sponsored spy campaign
State-sponsored actors targeted security devices used by governments around the world, according to technology firm Cisco Systems, which said the network devices are coveted intrusion points by spies.