Toronto’s Acting Medical Officer of Health issued an extreme cold weather alert for the city on Saturday, activating municipal services that help get vulnerable residents inside.
These services include following:
- Additional shelter beds
- Notification to community agencies to relax any service restrictions
- Availability of transit tokens in some drop-ins, and overnight street outreach
Extreme cold weather alerts are called when temperatures are forecast to dip to -15 C or lower, or when wind chill is forecast to reach -20 C or colder.
This is Toronto’s fourth extreme cold weather alert so far. In 2015-16, considered a relatively mild fall/winter season, there were a total of 12.
In 2014 to 2015 there were 39, a 10-year high.
City officials recommend taking the following actions during an extreme cold weather alert:
- Dress in layers, making sure your outer layer is windproof, and cover exposed skin
- Wear a hat, warm mittens or gloves, and warm boots
- Stay dry. Your risk of hypothermia is much greater if you are wet
- Seek shelter if you normally spend long periods outside. Depending on the wind chill, exposed skin can freeze in minutes
- Drink warm fluids, other than alcohol
- Warm up by taking regular breaks in heated buildings when enjoying winter activities outside.
- Consider rescheduling outdoor activities, or limiting time outdoors, during colder temperatures, especially if it’s windy
- Heat your home to at least 21ºC if infants or elderly people are present
City officials are asking residents to be on the lookout for vulnerable people and call 311 if there is a need for outreach assistance, or 911 if the situation is an emergency.
More information on the city’s cold weather response plan can be found here.
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