Warming shelters were on the agenda at this week’s Quesnel City Council meeting, and specifically a lack of an extreme cold policy.
Tanya Turner, the Director of Development Services, noted that it wasn’t about emergency shelter beds.
“This is just regarding the warming centre. This isn’t about a lack of spaces. Warming centres are funded by Emergency Management BC, they’re only initiated during extreme weather events.”
Turner also noted that most communities already have them.
“Currently we do them only when we have an Environment Canada warning which is like about -26 for many days. Most communities have updated their policy to be at different temperatures more in line with what is recommended by Emergency Management BC, so that’s the discussion that needs to happen. It’s not the same thing as emergency shelter beds, which is another discussion.”
In the end, Council unanimously agreed to develop such a s policy.
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