Montreal shelters preparing for polar vortex expected to bring frigid temps to city

Montreal shelters, already filled to capacity, are preparing for the upcoming cold snap expected to hit southern Quebec in the coming days.

In Montreal, highs are expected to reach –15 C, with overnight lows dropping to between –20 C and –25 C starting Monday, according to Gina Ressler, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada.

This has spurred Montreal-area shelters to action, which are getting ready to welcome as many people as they can. But this comes at a time when shelters are often already full at night.

"When we start seeing that it's getting colder outside, we are going to start seeing more beneficiaries try to get shelter," said Caterina Modica-Amore, a co-ordinator with the Ricochet Centre, a 24/7 shelter on Gouin Boulevard  in the Pierrefonds-Roxboro borough.

"It also means, because we only have a certain number of people that we can accept, we are also going to have a high refusal rate which can lead to people sleeping outside."

In the last two weeks, the shelter has added six more places, bumping up its previous number from 48. Starting Monday, the goal is to have 22 extra beds, she said. At the same time, she said the centre needs more staff and is actively looking for help.

Shelters turning people away

Overnight, shelters and warming centres often have little to no space available. Earlier this month, CAP St-Barnabé, an organization operating three emergency shelters in eastern Montreal, said it turned away about 30 people in one night. All 350 available beds were already occupied.

The province's association of emergency room doctors said emergency rooms in Quebec hospitals are increasingly being used as shelters by people who are unhoused, particularly during cold snaps.

At the Old Brewery Mission downtown, about 50 people are turned away every night.

In December, a 55-year-old man was found unconscious in a public square. He later died, and police suspect hypothermia to be the cause. The province's coroner is investigating.

At Refuge de Laval, an emergency shelter north of Montreal, co-ordinator Vanessa Garreffa said they've been preparing for the cold temperatures for a couple of weeks.

She said that early preparation has been possible because the shelter has "unwavering support" from the local health agency and the City of Laval. Provincial and federal funding has helped as well, she said.

"It allows us to increase our capacity from 30 beds, which is our normal capacity, to 65 up until March 31," she said. "At all times, we can receive 65 people."

But when there are extreme temperatures, she said the shelter can have an unlimited capacity if needed — meaning those in need can have access to a chair, at least. Last winter, the shelter was getting as many as 65 to 70 people at one time.

Montreal officials declined an interview request, but a spokesperson said the YMCA downtown will reopen as an emergency shelter starting Sunday evening, for a minimum period of three nights. The shelter will be operational from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. and can accommodate 135 people.

Temperatures are not abnormal for this time of year

Meteorologist Ressler said the cold snap will be the most intense the province has experienced in two years, following last year's abnormally warm winter.

Some parts of the province could see temperatures dip as low as –30 C, she said. The cold weather is expected to last until Thursday, with temperatures gradually returning to seasonal values. Seasonal temperatures in Quebec typically range from –6 C to –15 C.

"This kind of cold weather isn't abnormal," Ressler said.

"It's completely normal to have these cold snaps in January in Montreal. It's just going to feel like a shock because it's the coldest air so far this season."

It may also be shocking because last winter was so mild, she added.

"We really didn't have any cold snaps last winter," she said.

As the cold front sets in, Ressler urged Quebecers to check the weather forecast before heading outdoors. Staying indoors is ideal, she said. If going out, make sure to check the wind chill and dress appropriately, she advised, suggesting layers, including a wind-resistant outer layer.

A hat, she said, is key to keeping the body warm because so much heat is lost through the head.