With cold weather coming, City of Edmonton to activate extreme cold weather protocols on Sunday

While people living in Alberta’s capital have enjoyed some mild temperatures, colder conditions are in the forecast and the City of Edmonton says it plans to activate its extreme cold weather protocols at noon on Sunday.

The protocols are aimed at protecting those experiencing homelessness in Edmonton from the cold.

In a news release issued Friday, city officials said their tentative plans are “based on current forecasts.”

“If weather conditions remain cold beyond this time frame, the response will be extended,” officials added. “The threshold for activating the city’s extreme weather response is a temperature of -20 C with wind chill for at least three consecutive nights.”

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As of Friday, the city said it has a target date of Friday, March 1 for lifting its extreme cold weather response protocols.

Once the protocols are implemented, people will be allowed to use open city facilities like recreation centres and libraries to warm up. City officials noted LRT trains and stations are not to be used for that purpose as “they lack basic amenities such as washrooms, are often inadequately heated and do not allow those using the space to safely connect with important social supports.”

“The city encourages vulnerable Edmontonians to go to shelters to protect themselves from winter conditions,” city officials said.

Once the cold weather response begins, an additional bus will be added to the city’s winter shelter shuttle service to transport vulnerable people to emergency shelters. The buses will have support staff on board.

The cold weather response will also result in additional shelter spaces being opened at the Al Rashid Mosque.

For more details, click on the extreme weather response page on the City of Edmonton’s website.

On Saturday afternoon, Environment and Climate Change Canada’s website indicated Edmonton was expected to receive some snowfall beginning early Sunday and that the city could expect an overnight low of -16 C on Sunday night.

The overnight low was expected to drop to -24 C on Monday night.

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