Montreal, like many places in Canada, woke up in a deep freeze Friday as temperatures took a dramatic dip overnight.
Many Montrealers’ car engines were sounding more like “purrs just like a kitty cat, well, a very sick one,” according to CAA technician Shawn Forget, who was kept busy on the first frigid day of the season
READ MORE: Montreal transit buses, cars, trucks slam into each other in winter weather
Forget drives all over Verdun and Nun’s Island boosting engines in the cold.
“We have quite a few calls and we will try to get it all done. As one person, I can’t do it alone, so we pretty much have all our trucks on the road right now,” he said, while on his way to another call.
By 9:15 a.m., CAA Quebec received 2,600 calls across the province and 1,100 on the island of Montreal.
“Winter is always a shock, even if we live in Quebec,” said spokesperson Annie Gauthier. “Last winter it was nice and warm so maybe Quebecers were unprepared.”
While the high was -16 C Friday, the wind chill is making it feel like -30 C.
If it’s too cold for engines to start, you can expect it’s not hard to imagine how hard it is for those sleeping outside.
“Last year we had about 14 people who died in the streets,” said David Guertin of the St. Michael’s Mission. The Mission works with those who are poor and homeless in downtown Montreal.
READ MORE: Addressing the issue of homelessness on Montreal’s West Island
About 40 homeless people took refuge against the freezing temperatures Thursday night, Guertin said.
“We are are a Mission trying to make the homeless of Montreal feel like someone cares about them,” he said.
Police circulated through the night to ensure those sleeping outside were safe.
Temperatures are expected to warm up over the weekend.