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The blast of extreme cold weather has made withstanding a Prairie winter in Saskatchewan a little bit harder this week, especially for the homeless.
A cold and windy air mass has moved into Saskatchewan and is now drifting across the continent, causing temperatures and windchill values in the province to plummet to around the -40 C to -45 C range.
Read more:
- ‘Coldest weather we’ve seen so far’: Environment Canada
- $1.1M in provincial funding distributed to help create, expand warming spaces in Regina
- Too cold to ski: Bone-chilling cold warnings sweep the country, lows nearing -50 C
According to Environment Canada, these are the coldest temperatures we’ve seen so far this year.
Extreme cold can be deadly for a homeless person.
Saskatchewan Minister of Social Services, Terry Jenson, said that while dealing with extreme cold weather, it becomes a combined effort to make sure everyone is taken care of.
“We are working with our frontline outreach people to make sure that individuals that may be exposed to the elements know that they have a place to go,” he said.
“If our shelters are at capacity, we will never turn anybody away. We will work to find them a safe, warm place to be, whether that be the use of a hotel room, or we’ll work with other front line providers to accommodate those individuals,” he said.
Jenson said that in times of extreme cold communication is key.
“I stay in touch with our municipalities, with our municipal leaders, to ensure that what they’re hearing and what we’re being provided with for information syncs up, so we’re not leaving anybody falling through the cracks,” he said.
“It’s up to the individual if they decide for whatever reason they’re not going to seek shelter, but we do our very best to encourage them to do that,” said Jenson.
Since the start of winter, shelters have seen more and more people visit.
“We’ve seen that the uptake in the shelters is pretty strong, and that’s a good sign,” said Jenson.
“Our number one priority is always making sure somebody has a safe, warm place to be. Having somebody on the streets is not acceptable.”
— with files from CKOM News
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