THUNDER BAY — Warming centres in Thunder Bay are preparing their facilities to respond to a cold snap this week.
This preparation comes after a low-pressure system dumping up to 30 cm of snow moved east, making way for a flow of cold northerly wind.
As a result, locals can now expect the daily maximum to range between -11 C and -15 C until Friday, with overnight lows falling to -26 tonight and Thursday.
Environment Canada warned on Tuesday to expect temperatures to “take a dip.”
People Advocating for Change through Empowerment (PACE) is one of many centres struggling with crowds amid the cold.
Georgina Mckinnon, the executive director at PACE, spoke about this upflow in traffic faced at the centre. She said while the centre opens at 7:30 a.m., people are currently at the door by 7:35 a.m. waiting to come in.
“We do have capacity limits," said Mckinnon. "When we meet our capacities, we start shuffling them out. They come in for a half hour, have a hot drink, maybe a bite to eat and warm up and then we bring in the next crew. We try to do it about every half hour."
Christopher Pyrick attended the warming centre on Wednesday. He said it is more than just a warming centre: it's a battle for a way of life and keeping a way of life.
“This is very much a last stop. It’s a place where you can halt and reassess and take another path,” said Pyrick.
He said the fact of the matter is that “a crisis is a crisis.”
Mckinnon said she’d like to tell everybody they’re ‘here for them.’
“I want everybody to know that PACE is a safe space. It's a safe space to come to and it's a place to call home. Our clients dub PACE the home for the homeless and we try to make it as homey as we can be here for them,” said Mckinnon.
She said they have also hired more staff and extended their hours.
"We're now open 7:30 a.m. till 7 p.m. minimum. If needed, we can open earlier or later. We've increased our donations call out that we've done and the people have been amazing. So, we've brought in a lot of donations," said Mckinnon.
However, she welcomes the public to drop off more donations to help the centre meet its needs.
“Well, we're working on housing and PACE is working with all the other agencies trying to find housing for people, but donations of clothes, blankets, snacks, hot chocolate — they really like hot chocolate — and snacks. That kind of thing is always welcome here,” said Mckinnon.
For more information on how to protect yourself during extreme cold, the Northwestern Health Unit recommended visiting their website or the Government of Canada's webpage.
