A plunge in temperature and the possibility of snow this weekend has social agencies, the City of Victoria and others preparing to help as many people as possible to stay warm and dry.
By Sunday night, Greater Victoria residents can expect a low of -5 C.
On Vancouver Island, temperatures are expected to drop five to 10 degrees below the usual seasonal high of 7 C and low of 2 C, and there will be some snow flurries as well, Derek Lee, meteorologist for Environment and Climate Change Canada, said Friday.
Snow could fall over higher terrain on Saturday, but may not arrive until Saturday night or Sunday for lower areas, said Lee. Late Sunday afternoon, a collision of warm and cold air is expected to set up over the Island, bringing snow, he said.
Two to four centimetres is expected to fall on Greater Victoria, with higher amounts expected over the Malahat.
Although daytime temperatures are expected to be above zero for the weekend, it will cool down at night and the cold is expected to continue through the beginning of the week, said Lee, with temperatures barely making it above zero for daytime highs on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The Island can expect ongoing flurries as well, he said.
With temperatures set to dip, there aren’t enough shelter spaces to keep everyone in need warm. Some will find a mat to sleep on in a shelter, but the region’s 2020 Point in Time Homeless Count identified more than 1,500 people who were unhoused.
At Cool Aid Society’s Rock Bay Landing Emergency Shelter on Ellice Street, staffing problems have meant that the 20 mats in place have been ready for use only intermittently.
“We open them when we have staffing and when we can get people to come in,” said community-engagement manager Tracey Robertson. “That’s been a challenge for us, for sure, one that we’ve been struggling with for a few months now.”
The situation is “especially glaring” when the weather is bad, she said.
Even with frigid temperatures in the forecast, it’s unclear whether the mats will be available, she said.
“It’s not from lack of effort or lack of need,” Robertson said. “We’re constantly looking for people.”
Robertson said other services continue to be available at Rock Bay, such as showers and the provision of blankets and warm clothing — which includes a large recent donation of coats from Eddie Bauer.
Our Place Society spokesman Grant McKenzie said staff are making sure enough blankets are on hand and that the Pandora Avenue space is open, but there will be no additional sleeping space — just the 30 mats available on a regular basis.
“They tend to be full and there’s a waiting list every night,” McKenzie said.
The facility will be making room for more people to come inside during the day, however, so they can warm up until closing time at 9 p.m.
The society continues to receive donations of coats, blankets and other items, but monetary donations are down, McKenzie said.
The Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness co-ordinates the region’s extreme-weather response, and issued an extreme-weather alert at 11:45 a.m. Thursday through its newly hired co-ordinator.
The City of Victoria responded with a nighttime warming centre, complete with 30 mats, at St. John the Divine Church on Quadra Street. It’s expected to remain open as the cold snap lingers.
“We anticipate that we’ll be in this state for a bit,” said Colleen Mycroft, manager of executive operations and city communications.
Also in place during the alert are 30 overnight mats at the Salvation Army Addictions and Rehabilitation Centre on Johnson St.
It’s expected to warm up later next week, when a storm system comes in from the Pacific, bringing warmer air and more widespread precipitation for the Island. That storm will likely linger into the weekend, said Lee.
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