Snow and cold has blanketed much of Vancouver Island since Friday, which for some meant sledding and winter fun, but has led to difficult days for those without homes.
Expect the low temperatures in Greater Victoria to continue at least until the end of the week, said Environment Canada meteorologist Philippe-Alain Bergeron.“There’s a little bit of moderation, very gradual, through the week but it remains overall cold — well below normal.”
The normal temperature for December is 1.1 C for a low and 7 C for a high.
Victoria had a Monday high of –5 and a low of –9.
“Any precipitation in the next several days is snow, there’s no question, but once you get to Thursday, Friday there’s a possibility of getting just slightly above freezing.”
The biggest hit of snow could come overnight Wednesday as a weather system moves in, Bergeron said.
Snow could range from two to 10 centimetres on Vancouver Island’s east and south coasts, with about two to four in Victoria. Variations might be seen in the Duncan and Nanaimo areas, where there were accumulations of over 20 centimetres by Sunday.
Bergeron said that while there have been low temperatures, he has seen no records — although one was very close. Victoria International Airport registered –9.3 on Monday, while the record for Dec. 27 is –9.4.
The regional record for the day is –10.6 at Victoria Harbour in 1968; the low at the harbour on Monday was –8.
Service providers across the Island are struggling to take in everyone who needs a warm place, having to send people out in freezing temperatures due to staffing shortages, funding challenges and a lack of space.
“It’s pretty brutal. We have a lot of concerns about frostbite right now,” said Jovan Johnson, executive director of Risebridge, which is running a daytime warming centre in Nanaimo.
Risebridge’s space has been operating at or near its capacity of up to 32 people the last few days, Johnson said. She estimates about 50 people total are using the space each day while it’s open from 5:30 to 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Some of the people coming to the warming centre have been living in vehicles or don’t have heat on in their homes and need somewhere to stay warm, Johnson said.
Risebridge stepped in to operate a warming tent in early December after Nanaimo’s only warming centre closed abruptly due to an investigation into a possible misappropriation of funds. In mid-December, Risebridge leased an empty yoga studio downtown to create the temporary warming centre.
Johnson wants to keep the space open overnight, but doesn’t have the funding to do so. Risebridge isn’t receiving any government funding for the warming centre and the organization is running on community donations and grant money for its other programs, she said.
It’s a similar story in the Comox Valley.
“Everybody’s doing the best they can, but we need more shelter beds,” said Heather Ney, director of the Comox Valley Transition Society, which operates Connect Warming Centre. “We are turning people away who are coming in looking for a place to sleep every night.”
The warming centre was only able open in the days leading up to Christmas because some staff who moved away were home for the holidays and worked alongside Ney to give people an escape from the cold.
Bob, who had been sleeping in a tent before getting a mat at the centre, said he doesn’t know what he would do without the shelter space. “I just wouldn’t be able to make it out there in this cold. It’s just way too cold. When I go outside for a couple hours with a blanket on me, it’s just too cold,” the 53-year-old said. He asked that his last name not be used.
The regional district has also opened an overnight warming centre from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.
Freezing temperatures in Campbell River prompted the largest extreme weather response in recent years, said Shaun Koopman, protective services coordinator for the Strathcona Regional District.
The district opened an emergency overnight shelter at the Campbell River Community Centre for the first time in at least six years, he said. The shelter is a partnership with the city and the Campbell River Coalition to End Homelessness. It is open from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., has 40 cots and can accommodate up to 100 people. It’s expected to remain open until Dec. 30.
In Victoria, a warming centre at James Bay United Church extended its hours overnight Monday because of the ongoing cold. The 511 Michigan St. site had been open 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
“What’s happening is we’re basically assessing staffing capacity each day,” said Nina Grossman, co-ordinator of the Extreme Weather Response for the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness. Being able to stay open overnight is a good step, she said.
“We’re working to try to continue that as the cold snap continues, but that’s something that we have to look at based on staffing,” Grossman said. “It’s hopefully going to alleviate pressure on the other shelters.”
She said there is space for 30 people but no sleeping mats at the church because it is technically just a warming centre.
“It’s not meant for sleeping, but of course people can sleep there,” she said. “The main thing is that people can come inside and be warm and get something to eat, and they can stay as long as the hours it’s open.”
Affiliated shelter space is at the Salvation Army’s Addiction and Rehabilitation Centre at 525 Johnson St. which offers 30 mats from 8:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m, with soup provided from 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., or until it runs out. There is also a Sooke shelter facility with five mats at 6750 West Coast Rd.
People from a number of groups are on the street making sure individuals are keeping warm or have someplace to go, she said.
On Monday afternoon, B.C. Transit was advising riders of a number of snow-related detours.
The Capital Regional District issued an alert saying weather conditions are affecting curbside-recycling pick up. If your recycling is not collected by 9 p.m., bring it inside until the next collection day, the CRD said.
— With a file from Louise Dickson
